In Senate race, the issues take a back seat to Bush

GOLDSBORO -- North Carolina is heading into the final week of one of the country's most competitive U.S. Senate races. But it is a race that has largely been devoid of overriding issues -- even with millions of dollars spent on attack ads.

There has been little talk of what Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole or her Democratic challenger, Kay Hagan, would do about health care, the economy or U.S. foreign policy.

Instead, the race has turned into a referendum on President Bush.

"It looks like the election is more about the tide than the swimmers," said Gary Pearce, a veteran Democratic strategist in Raleigh.

After months of taking a beating in television commercials, Dole wants her supporters to know that she is hanging in there.

"Folks, I'm still standing after $18 million," Dole told a crowd at the Wayne County park on Sunday. She says that is how much has been spent on television advertising opposing her.

Hagan, meanwhile, is trying to close the sale to an electorate unhappy with the way things are going in Washington and in the economy.

"We need change in North Carolina and in the U.S.," Hagan said at Bennett College in Greensboro on Monday. "I think politicians like Elizabeth Dole are ineffective because they are so tied into the special interest and the lobbyists."

Dole, the 72-year-old former Cabinet secretary and presidential candidate, is traveling across the state this week in a bus -- the Elizabus, it has been dubbed -- giving a summation of her case for re-election.

She is focusing on the power of incumbency as she tries to undercut Hagan's charge of ineffectiveness. Dole cites her record in helping engineer the buyout of the federal tobacco program, her work to prevent Tar Heel military bases from being closed and her membership on committees important to North Carolina, such as banking, armed services and small business.

To bolster her case, Dole is joined on the trail by Ed Frawley, a Wisconsin man who drew national attention to the substandard conditions at Fort Bragg, where his son was serving in the 82nd Airborne. Frawley said Dole acted quickly to remedy the situation.

In recognition of the Democratic tide in the country, Dole says it's important that Democrats don't win the 60 seats that would enable them to override a presidential veto. If they do, Dole warns, the Democrats will raise taxes, make it easier for labor unions to organize and allow the appointment of judges who will "legislate from the bench."

Dole's biggest applause lines come when she mentions her efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants and demand an English-only policy in the country.

Dole says she has taken clear stands in opposition to the $700 billion financial bailout and immigration bills that she said would lead to amnesty. Dole says she supports opening up offshore oil drilling.

Meanwhile, Dole says Hagan has been unwilling to take a stand.

"My opponent has gone wobbly on the major issues," Dole said at a rally held in a Goldsboro park.

Supporters are worried but hopeful about her prospects.

"I think she is going to eke out a victory," said Republican state Rep. Louis M. Pate Jr. of Wayne County. "She has the right issues. This is a conservative state."

If Dole supporters are worried, Hagan backers can hardly contain their enthusiasm.

"I think Hagan is doing extremely well," said Democratic state Rep. Alma Adams of Greensboro. "I think the issues show a clear distinction between her and Senator Dole."

Hagan, who is traveling across the state in a van, notes that polls show her ahead. "This is finally our chance for change," Hagan told about 60 backers at High Point University's student center Monday.

Hagan has sought to tie Dole to Bush while associating herself with the national Democratic ticket. She introduced Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden in Greensboro on Monday.

Hagan recites a litany of ills facing the country: the financial meltdown, high gas prices, a health-care system that she says needs reforming.

While much of the focus of her campaign has been criticizing Dole, Hagan also talks about her own record as a state legislator for the past decade. She talks about balanced budgets, new spending for education and other programs.

Despite commercials attacking her record as a budget chairwoman, Hagan notes that North Carolina state government has a triple-A bond rating, the highest possible, and an overfunded state pension plan.

"We do things right in North Carolina," Hagan said.

And she promises to return to North Carolina often -- something she says Dole has not done.

"I have at least two things going for me," Hagan said. "I live in North Carolina and my husband can vote for me."

Hagan also voices her opposition to the war in Iraq and calls for a gradual withdrawal and redeployment to Afghanistan.

"This war is not making America safer," Hagan said.

While the Senate campaign is not issue-less, it does not appear to be issue driven.

"The issues are not only being used less in the campaigns but they also matter less to voters," Carter Wrenn, a veteran Republican strategist. "The main factor in this election is people's polarization about George Bush."