Campaign Roundup (1)
In New York State, political "tailors" are measuring Jacob Javits's coattails. Javits's defeat in the GOP primary for his Senate seat may carry over to affect John Anderson's fortunes in the presidential contest, according to state politicos.
Reason: Javits's name will now appear on the November ballot in New York on the Liberal Party line with Anderson. And the type of liberal voter Javits and the Liberals will draw out to the ballot box is likely to vote for Anderson as well.
A Carter-Mondale campaign spokesman doubts that "there is any transference from a lesser office to the presidential line." A Republican source doubts that voters will see Javits and Anderson as a combination. But Liberal Party chairman Raymond Harding thinks each candidate will help the other: "The total product will be greater than the sum of the parts."m
With both major party candidates wary of bringing the issue into the campaign arena, Ronald Reagan recommended Saturday that the US meet three of four Iranian conditions for the release of the American hostages.
President Carter made no comment in response except that he wanted to keep the issue out of the political realm. Reagan, too, said he would not make the hostages a campaign issue.
Reagan said the US "can and should agree" to Iran's demand that its assets be unfrozen, all claims against its assets be dropped, and the US agree not to interfere in any with Iran's affairs. The fourth demand, that the late shah's property be confiscated, Reagan said was a matter for the courts.
"The overriding concern now," said Reagan, "is the return of our citizens who have been held captive for almost a year in violation of international law."
Perhaps coincidentally, the statement jibes with the effort articulated by some in the Reagan campaign to present Reagan as harmless and humane, undercutting any attempt to portray him as a dangerous ideologue.m
Carter and Reagan are both carrying their campaigns to Texas this week, one of the election's decisive battlegrounds. Republican Gov. William Clements predicts an all-out political scrap.
The day after the President's Houston visit Sept. 15, Reagan and running mate George Bush will fly south for a Texas-sized $2.4 million fund-raiser.
Carter won Texas in 1976 and many say he needs it this year, but Reagan is about now 10 percentage points ahead by most polls. Yet Carter may be closing the gap from earlier in the summer, and Democrats hold a registration majority in the state. A high voter turnout of blacks and Hispanics could swing the state to Carter Nov. 4.
Texas is worth 26 Electoral College votes to the victor.
Anderson's ability to draw Democratic voters away from Carter is getting an early test in Wisconsin, home of Anderson running mate and former state Gov. Patrick Lucey.
Even though Lucey was considered an effective governor, Wisconsin US Rep. Les Aspin says: "I don't know one elected Democratic official that will campaign for Anderson." Carter and Anderson will get proportions of the white liberal vote in the state, while Reagan and Carter will split the blue-collar, ethnic vote, Aspin says.
Both Lucey and Vice-President Walter Mondale met separately with the large KEnnedy delegation to the Democratic convention to woo the support of the now-uncommitted delegates. so far, most Kennedyites are leaning to Carter.m
The latest Carter/Reagan exchange over the role of the independence fund-raising committees promoting Reagan for president:
Carter has requested the Federal communications commission allow him equal time on any station that runs a Reagan commercial by the independent committees. The Reagan campaign is now petitining the commission to reject the Carter request.
Reagan campaign director William Casey called the request "a deliberate attempt on the part of Carter to suppress the right of free speech." The Reagan campaign committee has no contact or connection with the independent groups working in Reagan's behalf.
