Kasich weighs a 2000 race; others gear up campaigns

Associated Press, January 13, 1999

WASHINGTON -- Representative John R. Kasich, the House Budget Committee chairman from Ohio, will take the first step this week toward seeking the Republican presidential nomination, a campaign official said yesterday.

Kasich, 46, a ninth-term House member, will form an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission today, allowing him to raise and spend money while he tests the waters, an official involved with the effort said. He will announce this step Feb. 15 in Ohio, the official said.

Kasich confidants say the lawmaker is almost certain to become a full-fledged candidate, but that announcement probably would come in the spring.

Another likely Republican candidate, former Vice President Dan Quayle, said yesterday that national security should be a critical issue in the 2000 campaign.

"No presidential candidate should be taken seriously unless he or she understands the importance of foreign policy," Quayle said at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington.

Quayle, who plans to announce his intentions soon, refused to critique potential rivals yesterday. But when asked about the foreign policy experience of a likely rival, Texas Governor George W. Bush, Quayle said: "Clearly experience helps. I don't need on-the-job training."

On the Democratic side, former Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey became a presidential candidate yesterday. Bradley, who formed an exploratory committee in December, quietly established the Bill Bradley for President Campaign with the FEC.

"We're encouraged by the campaign's first efforts in fund-raising," said a Bradley spokesman, Eric Hauser. Bradley will soon visit New Hampshire and Iowa for the first time since his decision to explore the race.

Bradley plans to announce his challenge to Vice President Al Gore in the spring. Gore, who formed his campaign Jan. 1, hopes to benefit from President Clinton's support.

So far, there are two declared Democratic candidates.

Senators Bob Kerrey of Nebraska and Paul Wellstone of Minnesota bypassed challenges to Gore.

The House minority leader, Richard A. Gephardt, is tempted to remain in the House and help Democrats try to capture the chamber in 2000, but he has not made a final decision. The Missouri Democrat, who could pose a threat to Gore, may announce his intentions as early as next week.

Senator John F. Kerry and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson are also weighing a run. Kerry met with advisers in Boston yesterday to discuss a possible candidacy.

Gore's staff is looking for office space and sifting through resumes. Gore's busy travel schedule will take him to New Jersey, New York, Florida, Colorado, California and New Hampshire in coming weeks.

The Republican presidential field will be more crowded.

Former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, who did not win the nomination in 1996, formed an exploratory committee Friday and plans to run again. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Bob Smith of New Hampshire had declared themselves candidates with the FEC.

Several other Republicans are almost certain to get into the race, including Quayle, Steve Forbes and conservative activist Gary Bauer. Bush is likely to run, but confidants caution that his candidacy is not certain.

Leading Republicans are streaming to Austin, Texas, to pay homage to Bush, the early favorite, asking him to help raise money in their states and promising their support if he runs.

Some supporters are telling potential donors in Washington that Bush may not accept federal matching money, which would free him of spending caps. However, Bush advisers say those decisions have not been made.

In his speech, Quayle said the Clinton administration "frittered away" opportunities left by former President Bush. Clinton has stumbled with regard to policies in China, Cuba, Iraq, North Korea and Russia, Quayle said, adding he has also fumbled on other issues.