President Clinton appealed for a second term yesterday by taking credit for a revived economy and promising that if given four more years, "we'll be better off still." Battling the odds on election eve, Bob Dole warned of mounting Clinton ethical questions and declared: "America deserves better."
Control of Congress was at stake, too, as Americans prepared to cast ballots in the last presidential election of the 1900s. Clinton had the upper hand in the race against Dole and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot, while Republicans were favored to keep their House and Senate majorities.
"I'm not optimistic on a national basis at all on the presidential race," said Florida Republican Chair Tom Slade. "It truly would be a political miracle if Dole can pull this out."
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, on the other hand, voiced confidence he would not have to hand his gavel over to Democrats come January.
"I'm currently planning on what we'll do next year in the majority," Gingrich said as he campaigned back home in Georgia.
Clinton has campaigned for Democratic candidates throughout the year but rarely made a direct appeal for a Democratic Congress. But in a fiery election-eve speech in Iowa, he urged the state to support its Democratic congressional candidates and said Republicans had abandoned talk of their "Contract on America" because of voter revolt against GOP attempts to curb Medicare and education spending.
"They are praying for amnesia on your part," Clinton said of the Republican congressional strategy.
Strategists in both parties said dozens of races were too close to predict on the final yesterday of a campaign that was, oddly, both a referendum on the incumbent Democratic president and the Republican Congress sent to Washington midway through Clinton's term.
"There are going to be a lot of close races and that's just a fact," said Republican National Committee Chair Haley Barbour.
Given that, the candidates were up early, or, in Dole's case, didn't bother sleeping at all.
Clinton began in New Hampshire, once firm Republican territory but now part of the president's solid Northeast base. "We're one day away from victory," Elaine Krasker told him inside a Manchester restaurant.
"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" Clinton replied, at age 50 setting out confidently for the final day of what is likely to be his final campaign.
Later, in Cleveland, Clinton said the economy had created nearly 11 million jobs and the deficit had been cut by 60 percent since he took office. "We're better off than we were four years ago," Clinton said before leaving Ohio for Kentucky, Iowa, South Dakota and an Election Day homecoming in Arkansas.
He noted Dole's Senate opposition to the family leave law and said his Republican opponent wanted to abolish the Education Department and enact a "risky scheme" to cut taxes that Clinton said would imperil Medicare.
"Seize the day to keep your country moving in the right direction," Clinton said in urging supporters to get to the polls today.
Dole, at 73, likely was asking for votes for the last time, too, win or lose, closing out a political career that included 35 years in Congress, and a record 12 years as the Senate Republican leader.
"I need your votes," Dole told a crowd in New Mexico as he raced through four time zones and six states in a final push that was ending at noon today back home in Russell, Kan. "There's still time," he said.
Even many of Dole's most loyal campaign aides weren't sure of that. A dozen states were considered tossups in the presidential race. But even if he won all of them, Dole would need to upset Clinton in California or in several Midwest states to win.
Louisiana went Clinton's way four years ago, and Dole made an election-eve pitch for a change of direction. "If anybody here voted for Bill Clinton, this is a chance to redeem yourself," Dole said. "I believe in redemption."
The race tightened somewhat in the final days as Dole raised questions about Clinton's role in questionable Democratic Party fund raising from foreign interests. So he hammered that theme to the end.
"I will not compromise ethics or violate the public trust," Dole said, keeping his remarks to a few minutes at each stop because of a failing voice. "If you want a full-time president who won't be going to hearings or trials or anything else, Bob Dole is your choice."
Perot was running a distant third everywhere, and appeared unlikely to match the 19 percent of the vote he received in 1992. His message echoed Dole's but didn't necessarily help the GOP challenger, who can't afford to lose anti-Clinton votes to Perot.
"Our president, his wife and a number of associates face serious criminal charges," Perot told a Texas audience. "Would you allow a person with pending criminal charges to baby-sit your children?"
It was unclear whether Perot was referring to the recent reports of questionable fund raising or the Whitewater investigation into business and political dealings when Clinton was Arkansas governor. But there are no pending criminal charges against either the president or his wife.
While the refrains from the White House hopefuls were familiar, election eve brought a sense of urgency to the delivery. It was much the same in hard-fought congressional contests.
North Carolina GOP Sen. Jesse Helms, in a tight race for a fifth term, accused Democratic rival Harvey Gantt of misleading voters about the impact of Republican budgets proposals on Medicare spending.
"The intent, of course, is to scare senior citizens," Helms said.
"He did vote to cut Medicare - by $270 billion," was Gantt's rejoinder - and the refrain of Democrat after Democrat running against incumbent Republicans.
AP PHOTO
President Clinton embraces Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) as Hillary Clinton applauds in a rally last night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.