ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200068
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
NOTE: Above
Sen. Bob Dole clinched the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a Midwest primary sweep that set the stage for a generational battle in November pitting the World War II hero against the Baby Boom Democratic incumbent.
``The fall campaign is under way,'' Dole said triumphantly. ``It is 230 days to defeating Bill Clinton.''
Republican leaders said Dole's chances against Clinton would only be boosted by the early end of the nomination fight, made possible by an early primary calendar and Dole's roaring comeback after early stumbles. Even so, Ross Perot began maneuvering into the race and GOP officials worried a three-way race would hurt Dole's chances.
Dole defeated persistent rival Pat Buchanan by lopsided margins in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin and welcomed delegates picked up earlier by his defeated rivals. As a result, Dole gained more than 200 delegates and crossed the 996 mark needed to mathematically clinch the GOP nomination, according to The Associated Press count.
The Kansas senator refused to declare victory in the nomination chase, eager to maintain some meaning for next week's California primary. Still, he knew the prize that eluded him in two prior White House bids was his.
``The first time I came up empty. The last time I came up short,'' Dole told AP. ``This time I'm coming up full.''
Dole said he would soon begin the process of picking a running mate and preparing for the August GOP convention in San Diego. He sounded a bit irritated with Buchanan's daily demands that his views be written into the party platform. ``Last time I checked I was the one winning,'' Dole said. ``He has to decide if he is a good Republican.''
A new national poll showed Dole moving to within 8 percentage points of Clinton in a head-to-head matchup.
``Now that we have a clear candidate that will tighten up even more,'' Dole said. ``We're going to be hard at work convincing the American people we have the right agenda for the next generation and the next century.''
But the prospect of another three-way race had some Republicans openly worrying about another Clinton victory.
``Bill Clinton is going to be defeated if it's a two-man race,'' Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said on CNN. ``I think there's always a problem if Ross Perot or someone else gets in.''
Dole said he probably would try to dissuade Perot. ``Go up and down his issues list - if we just had Bob Dole in there, we would get it done,'' Dole said.
As Dole looked ahead to the general election, a weary Buchanan was campaigning in California.
Ignoring the delegate math, Buchanan said he was ``doing battle for the nomination. ... We are going to pull no punches.''
Even so, he authorized aides to make the case that the conservative commentator's support among Democrats and Perot voters made him an ideal Dole vice presidential candidate.
``Dole is weak among working-class and middle-class voters and you cannot win the general election without them,'' said Buchanan spokesman Greg Mueller. ``Buchanan is his way of bringing them home.''
Dole noted that Buchanan had ``way high'' negatives in public opinion polling, but added, ``I don't want to get into that with Pat right now. We're trying to get him to see the light here,'' a reference to Buchanan's daily assaults.
Dole spent the day at the Capitol tending to his work as Senate majority leader and plunging into a fresh budget debate with Clinton, who already is assured of the Democratic nomination.
It was clear heading into the voting that Dole was poised for a four-state sweep. The only drama was whether he could win Michigan and Wisconsin by wide enough margins to clinch. Dole also hoped to prove his strength in the industrial battlegrounds likely to be pivotal come November.
He was winning big, although exit polling exposed weaknesses, including concerns that Dole at 72 was too old. He also ran behind Buchanan in the blue-collar suburbs of Detroit and Milwaukee, critical swing regions in competitive statewide races.
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: The race so far. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB