Former Senator Bradley tests out New Hampshire, softly

By Jill Zuckman, Globe Staff, January 26, 1999

MANCHESTER, N. H. -- Former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, his voice barely audible, declared yesterday that he would make a better president than the Democratic front-runner, Vice President Al Gore.

At the same time, Bradley said, he's campaigning on his own merits. "In this campaign, I'm not really running against Al Gore," Bradley insisted. "I'm running because of what I want to do with the country and for the country."

Although the day marked his first visit to the first-in-the-nation primary state since forming his presidential exploratory committee, Bradley kept his audiences straining to hear him, and he left them waiting for details of an agenda that never came. Bradley, 55, said he is introducing himself to voters and listening to what they have to say at this stage in the primary process.

In Keene, Bradley visited MonadNet, a community Internet service provider. As he spoke to employees and visitors, he said next to nothing about his agenda. Instead, he gave the crowd a thumbnail sketch of himself, talking about his small-town roots growing up on the banks of the Mississippi, in Crystal City, Mo., population 3,492.

"I'll be back to continue that story in the months ahead," he said.

In Manchester, Bradley sat down with a group of young people who were trying to improve their lives, get an education, and learn a marketable skill such as construction at Youthbuild. The session was like an episode of "Oprah," with Bradley playing the moderator.

The senator asked the teenagers to tell him something about themselves, to tell him about their greatest fear and their greatest hope. "I know it's awkward," he said, prodding them in front of the media.

For Carmen Velazquez, 17 and pregnant, the moment proved too much. She said that her hope was to become a photographer, and that Youthbuild was a way to escape drugs and change her life.

With that, Velazquez put her hand over her eyes and began to sob. "It's OK," Bradley told her, reaching out to pat her arm.

The students asked Bradley about his positions on raising the minimum wage, affirmative action, and taxes. He said he would raise the minimum wage, but he hadn't decided by how much. He said he supports affirmative action efforts, and he did not believe it necessary to raise taxes in order to lower the national debt.

To reporters, Bradley said there was no reason for him not to challenge Gore, despite Gore's head start in organizing and fund-raising. Bradley said that he has not been a part of the partisanship of the last couple of years in Washington and that he would be better able to attract independent and Republican voters in a general election.

"I have a chance of getting enough people to win in New Hampshire, or I wouldn't be here," he said. While he said he would reach out to established political leaders here and financial donors throughout the country, Bradley said he does not have to look to the same narrow group of people to whom Gore is going for help.

"This country is very big," Bradley said. "There are a lot of people in America and in New Hampshire who haven't been politically active."

Some of the people who came out to listen to Bradley said they were looking for an alternative to Gore. Currently, Bradley is the only other Democrat running. Senator John F. Kerry is still trying to make up his mind about whether to run.

Paul Hodes, a Concord attorney, said one of the most compelling reasons for him to support Bradley is "the fact that he is not connected to the current administration."

Hodes said Gore is not as adept at distracting voters from campaign finance scandals and other problems as President Clinton has been. He said Bradley's integrity is beyond reproach. "I'm tired of having to deal with issues of personal politics," Hodes said.

In Keene, Randy L. Filiault, a city councilor, said that while he is fond of Gore, he is looking for another candidate to support. "At this point, it might be in our best interest to have somebody from the outside coming in," he said.