EMPSTEAD, N.Y. - US Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton brought out her biggest gun yesterday - her husband.
Calling himself ''spouse and cheerleader-in-chief,'' the president yesterday kicked off half a week of fund-raising for his wife. Between phone calls to the Middle East, President Clinton attended brunches and lunches upstate, then traveled to a rally at Hofstra University on Long Island before moving on to a Manhattan theater for a fund-raiser featuring rock star Elton John. The events yesterday raised $530,000.
At Hofstra, he told the crowd, with tears in his eyes, ''This is the first time in 26 years that they're having an election and I'm not the ballot. But I care more about this election than any other.''
Speaking of his wife, he said, ''I have never known anybody else who has her combination of brains, and heart, and caring, and tenacity.''
He also linked her to the national Democratic ticket, referring to ''the Gore-Lieberman-Hillary Middle-Class Tax Cut.''
When Hillary Clinton began her speech, she continued the connection, referring to ''the Clinton-Gore-Lieberman-Clinton team,'' to wild applause.
The president, the first lady, and their daughter, Chelsea, received a rock star reception of screams and cheers when they walked on stage. When the president spoke, Hillary Clinton looked on as if admiring a pro. When she spoke, he returned the favor, and sometimes laughed uproariously, as he did when, in answer to a charge by her opponent, Rick Lazio, that she has never done anything for New York, she said ''I certainly haven't done anything to New York, like being Newt Gingrich's deputy whip.''
Before the president praised Mrs. Clinton, he spent half an hour extolling his own record and Vice President Al Gore's involvement in it. The Clintons will also be holding fund-raisers in suburban Westchester County today and at a party in Manhattan celebrating Hillary Clinton's 53d birthday Wednesday.
