THE politician appearing most frequently in campaign ads this election season won’t be appearing on any ballots. Candidate A features President Bush at a signing ceremony in a TV spot that takes credit for “working with President Bush to pass historic new tax cuts.” Another of his ads includes a clip of the president praising him for helping to pass a trade bill. Candidate B is pictured visiting with President Bush in the Oval Office and highlights his support of the president’s education reforms. Candidate C explains that he helped Bush reduce welfare rolls. Candidate D brags that the farm bill he backed won “the signature of President Bush,” and Candidate E wants voters to know that she “voted for President Bush’s defense budget.”
Members of a popular president’s party could be expected to showcase their leader—but these candidates who are so closely hugging the president on the campaign trail are Democrats: in Montana, Georgia, Texas, Iowa, and Missouri. In this year’s competitive races, Bush Democrats are far more plentiful than Daschle Democrats.
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