ANCHESTER, N.H. - Steve Forbes, the wealthy publisher running for president, yesterday forked over his $1,000 to join the list, officially, of Republicans competing in New Hampshire's primary, still set for Feb. 1.
Forbes registered at the Secretary of State's office in Concord just a few hours after he joked at the Politics and Eggs Breakfast in Bedford about enjoying the free meal of eggs, bacon, and coffee since his campaign is costing him so much money.
Speaking at a gathering of business people at the Bedford Village Inn, Forbes said that he is opposed to abortion, but that Americans need to talk to each other about the subject. ''We can't impose views, we need to persuade,'' he said.
He also said people should keep more of what they earn, rather than hand it over to the federal government. And he repeatedly slammed Washington, saying it was out of touch and unresponsive.
''One thing I will do as president is make sure Washington keeps the books in a way that won't get you arrested in the private sector,'' he said.
Finally, Forbes sounded a theme that sounded a bit like Democrat Bill Bradley when he asked the audience for their support, saying he could not accomplish everything alone.
''We can make it happen,'' he urged the early morning gathering.
Bill Bradley's campaign was fending off criticism yesterday that his Madison Avenue advertising team was playing fast and loose with the truth. In a new television spot, a Pennsylvania woman gives Bradley credit for legislation that, she said, saved her daughter's life.
The ad features Maureen Drumm, the mother of three children, praising Bradley for writing legislation to allow women to stay in hospitals for 48 hours after giving birth.
''When I was pregnant with my second child, Bill Bradley proposed a law that women be allowed to stay in the hospital for 48 hours,'' Drumm said. ''Thanks to Senator Bradley, my daughter is alive today. That's the type of man I want in the White House.''
Drumm did have complications following the birth of her first child, and her second child had jaundice. Both times she was able to stay in the hospital for 48 hours. But Bradley's bill did not pass the Senate until a year after her second child was born. And Drumm's third child, born after the bill had become law, arrived with no complications. Vice President Al Gore's campaign called on Bradley yesterday to change the ad: ''If Bill Bradley really wants to run a different kind of campaign, he should fix his ads so that they are completely accurate and fair.''
Tony Wyche, a spokesman for Bradley, said the campaign is extremely pleased with the ad and has no plans to change it or take it off the air.
''For them to attack her for speaking about how she feels about what Senator Bradley did, is way over the line,'' Wyche said. He quoted Drumm saying that she would never have gone through with her third pregnancy if the law had not been in place to allow her to stay in the hospital for two days.
One of the creators on Bradley's ad team, Alex Kroll, once suggested in Advertising Age that political ads come with cautionary labels.
''Warning: This ad has not been cleared for truth and fairness as ads for commercial products are,'' Kroll said in 1991.
Now that he's on television in Boston and Manchester, George W. Bush, the Texas governor, has launched an ad campaign on New Hampshire radio and in North Country newspapers.
This week, the campaign will spend about $37,000 on radio and about $35,000 on print ads, according to Patrick W. Griffin, whose firm has been retained to help with its local media. The advertising blitz, focused on education and taxes, was launched at a time when Arizona Senator John McCain has begun challenging Bush in the polls.
''Until this week, McCain was outspending us 2-to-1 in media,'' Griffin said. ''This is the first time we've begun to match him.''
