Morning News

Election 2000: Battleground, Washington State

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All of the presidential candidates are making campaign swings through Washington State, which holds its primary balloting tomorrow and a caucus next week on Super Tuesday.

MORNING NEWS anchors, Daryn Kagan and Bill Hemmer, are also on the campaign trail to profile some of the key battleground states.

This morning, Bill Hemmer looks at Washington and what's at stake for the candidates there.

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BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There was a time when Washington State was known mostly for its beauty and its famous apples. My, how things have changed. Seattle has given birth to grunge for Generation X and gourmet coffee for everybody else.

Like so many places, the economy here is booming. Technology companies have made many people rich. This week, the high-tech world of computer software is being eclipsed by the onslaught of the political hard sell.

(on camera): Washington State moved its primary up a full month to give its voters more say in the political process. But when that decision was made, they had no idea the attention would be this big.

(voice-over): Candidates are flooding the Evergreen State.

PAUL BERENDT (D), STATE PARTY CHAIRMAN: It's been wild. The -- both campaigns are pulling out all the stops.

HEMMER: Paul Berendt heads the state's Democratic Party. He says the spotlight is good for Washington.

On Tuesday, the state will hold what is called a beauty contest. Very few delegates are at stake, only 12 for Republicans, none for Democrats. The pressure, though, is on Bill Bradley. Insiders say he must get a victory, or his campaign could be finished.

BERENDT: If he can't win here, it's going to be hard to argue that he can win anywhere.

VICE PRES. AL GORE (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Washington. Thank you, Seattle. HEMMER: Some polls show the vice president, Al Gore, with strong union support beating Bradley two to one. That's one reason why Bradley has barnstormed the state for five straight days.

At Seattle's famous fish market this weekend, Bradley appeared to have a tough sell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a fine man, no doubt about it. But he just doesn't have that presidential quality that I -- that I look for.

HEMMER: Meanwhile, the Republican race is extremely tight. George W. Bush is strong among the state's conservative voters, but many people here pride themselves as independents and avoid party labels. That independent wave is what John McCain is hoping to catch and ride into Super Tuesday next week.

JOEL CONNELLY, "SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER": A McCain victory gives what his adviser Mike Murphy has called "selective momentum," namely it is a message to California. And McCain can go 900 miles to the south of here with Washington smiling behind him and a good part of the country smiling at him.

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HEMMER: And again today, the stumping continues here in the state of Washington. George W. Bush will be here at the Bellevue Community College in a few hours time to make a speech. Again, tomorrow, 12 Republican delegates to be assigned, the remainder 25 more to be decided at caucuses next week. For the Democrats, none tomorrow, 94 next week.

Again, if this seems confusing, keep this in mind here: The candidates who win tomorrow will have momentum, and momentum is major heading into Super Tuesday, March 7.

PHILLIPS: Bill, as for Gore, why does he have such a big lead in Washington State? What's the feel?

HEMMER: Yes, Kyra, a lot of people here believe that Al Gore has basically been campaigning in the state of Washington for four years. Since 1996, he has made 14 visits here. Last summer, he summited Mount Rainier outside of Seattle, the city where we are located and have been working for the last couple of days. And experts here say they are a bit surprised by that only because they feel a lot of the electorate here is tailor-made for Bill Bradley. But, thus far, Bradley doesn't appear to have cut into Gore's lead at all. We will find out tomorrow. Of course, it will be interesting.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Bill, we look forward to it. That's our Bill Hemmer live in Washington.

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