Conservatives to audition GOP presidential candidates

Associated Press, February 3, 1999

WASHINGTON -- A group of conservative leaders summoned Republican presidential hopefuls to private interviews today, seeking a candidate who can win the presidency without forsaking the party's conservative wing.

Steve Forbes, the publisher and businessman; Representative John Kasich of Ohio; Gary Bauer, the conservative activist;Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire; and the broadcaster Alan Keyes are expected to be interviewed for an hour each in a downtown hotel, according to several people involved with organizing the auditions.

Former Vice President Dan Quayle will talk with the group by telephone from a rally in Indiana, sources said.

The leadership group, which includes activists Phyllis Schlafly and Paul Weyrich, is the same loose coalition of social conservatives who helped promote the potential candidacy of Senator John Ashcroft.

The Missouri lawmaker decided at the last minute not to run, leaving an opening for conservative candidates seeking credibility and attention.

"This is an important step in a much larger process of reaching out to the conservative base of the party," said Ralph Reed, a political strategist and former director of the Christian Coalition. He is not taking part in the job interviews, but is familiar with politics in the party's conservative wing.

"I think it remains to be seen whether or not this particular group can put together a coalition of conservative groups like the Christian Coalition or the Eagle Forum that can actually deliver large numbers of votes in primary states," Reed said. "But even if they don't, these are important individuals with important constituencies."

It also remains to be seen whether the group could ever agree to endorse one GOP hopeful, increasing its own influence and the presidential prospects of its anointed candidate.

"I cannot see a consensus emerging, which has been the problem all along," said Schlafly, the Eagle Forum leader. "We would like to have a consensus instead of being split all over the place. But, obviously, we're split all over the place."

Although Ashcroft had the backing of Schlafly and others in the group, even he was not unanimously endorsed.

Randy Tate, director of the Christian Coalition, will question the candidates, although he also wonders whether a consensus can emerge from the meeting. "The real questions is, can the candidate inspire grass-roots activists to the polls? No meeting in Washington is going to answer that question," Tate said.

In addition to Tate, Schlafly, and Weyrich, who runs the Free Congress Foundation, the group includes Mike Farris of the Home School Defense Association, Paige Patterson of the Southern Baptist Convention, and activist Tim La Haye.

Rallying behind one candidate can be dangerous for the group and the candidate, Reed cautioned. If the candidate loses, the group's influence will be questioned. If nominated, the candidate will be labeled by Democrats as a tool of the religious right, Reed said.

The meeting will not include Texas Governor George W. Bush or former Cabinet secretary Elizabeth Dole, two Republicans showing promise in early polling. The more moderate or establishment Republicans, such as Senator John McCain of Arizona and former Governor Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, were also not included.

Still, the gathering was welcomed by potential candidates vying for the support of social conservatives.

"It's a significant group of conservatives who want to hear their opinions on various issues," said Bill Dal Col, strategist for Forbes.