Democratic presidential candidates kicked off the frenetic stretch run to New Hampshire's primary Tuesday following Sen. Tom Harkin's unchallenged victory in his home-state Iowa caucuses.
With the first trophy of the 1992 campaign in hand, Harkin was returning for the finishing burst in New Hampshire, where his campaign has yet to command the kind of attention he received at home Monday night.Harkin received almost 77 percent of the vote, a result he deemed "far better than I ever imagined." He dismissed his trailing position in the polls in this state and told NBC's "Today" he could win here because "the people of Iowa are a lot like the people of New Hampshire."
"All I can say is stay tuned, because things are happening in New Hampshire, things are fluid, almost 50 percent are undecided, they're making up their minds," he said. "I am in this to the end, and I believe you're going to be very, very surprised at what happens in New Hampshire."
His rivals skipped Iowa, forfeiting to Harkin and trying to deny him any claim to campaign momentum - even as they jockeyed for some of their own during Harkin's absence from New Hampshire.
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas dueled for the lead Monday. The latest CNN-USA Today Gallup poll showed Tsongas leading with 33 percent to Clinton's 26 percent. Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey followed with 13, Harkin had 11 and former California Gov. Jerry Brown had 8. The tracking poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Clinton attended a New York fund-raiser Monday night that netted him at least $725,000, a hit Clinton said should give pause to those who believe he is stumbling.
Tsongas dropped much of his prepared economic speech Monday night to tell a crowd of about 500 people how his battle with cancer reshaped his political philosophy.
"For me, purpose is in the conduct of the battle, not in the outcome of the battle," said Tsongas, seeking the high ground as his rivals directed more criticism his way.
But survey after survey shows a recession-battered electorate hesitant to make firm commitments to candidates yet.
Trying to head off any embarrassment, President Bush took time Monday to do radio and television interviews with New Hampshire outlets. Challenger Patrick Buchanan said Bush's day on the air was evidence of a worried president, even though polls show a huge Bush lead.
New Hampshire's impact could be great: Most of the Democratic campaigns are underfinanced and underorganized in the states that follow, and candidates will face a daunting challenge raising money if they fare poorly in the true leadoff event of the 1992 primary season.
*****
(Additional information)
Iowa results
Harkin 76.7%
Uncommitted 12.0%
Tsongas 4.0%
Clinton 2.9%
Kerrey 2.2%
Brown 1.5%
Others 0.7%
~