By Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 reporter
Dallas, TX – Suzanne Sprague, Reporter: Ron Kirk is waiting in the wings. He's half an hour late for a luncheon at the Anatole Hotel in Dallas. And, even without the pressure to perform for TV cameras or photographers, Kirk is all smiles and handshakes, back slaps and charm. When he's cued to assume his position at the podium, the impatient crowd immediately forgives his tardiness and greets him as if he were a rock star.
Announcer: I am not going to waste any time introducing someone we all know so well and the fact that we know him so well is the biggest statement of all. Ron Kirk! [lots of clapping]
Sprague: Admittedly, this is a friendly audience. It's comprised of members of the Dallas Federal Club, which raises money to promote gay rights. Kirk told the crowd he's running for the Senate to help improve the economy, health care access and education, although he offered few details on how he would do that. Instead, he spent much of his time deflecting criticism from his opponent, John Cornyn, and from President George W. Bush, who has repeatedly called on Texans to vote against the former Dallas mayor.
Ron Kirk, Democratic Senate Candidate: My daughter said, "I thought you and George Bush were friends." And I said, "We are friends," and she said, "I thought George Bush liked you and said you were a good mayor." And, I still have a little "Ron" in me so I said, "Actually, honey, he said I was a great mayor." [laughter and clapping]. And I said, "In fact, one time he even called me 'Mr. Vice President.'"
Sprague: Whether in Texas or Washington, President Bush is playing a supporting role in the drama that has become the Texas Senate race. He's dispatched his wife, his father, his vice-president and one of his most prominent aides to campaign for John Cornyn. And the attorney general hardly lets a speech go by without making sure you know it.
John Cornyn, Republican Candidate for US Senate: It's been my honor as attorney general to work with a great governor and a great president, George W. Bush, [clapping] and I look forward to working with President Bush in the US Senate.
Sprague: That was Cornyn at a Republican rally in Southlake. This is Cornyn talking with reporters at a campaign stop in Fort Worth.
Cornyn: And on every issue that Mayor Kirk has had an opportunity he's chosen to side with Tom Daschle and the national Democratic Party and against the interests I think of the people of Texas and I think the agenda of President Bush.
Sprague: But as Dennis Simon, an associate professor of political science at Southern Methodist University notes, Cornyn rarely take aim at Ron Kirk's record as Dallas mayor.
Dennis Simon, Southern Methodist University: He's not going after Kirk individually. He's not calling Kirk the liberal. What he's saying is if he's elected, this is whom he's going to be with most of the time. And so that's how the connection to the "national liberal party" is being made.
Sprague: Republican Senate candidates in other states are making the same case against their opponents. But in Dallas, Democratic Party Chair Susan Hays finds the charge relative to Ron Kirk ridiculous.
Susan Hays, Dallas County Democratic Chair: I think there's a lot of left-wing liberals in Dallas who would laugh at that because they do not consider Kirk a left-wing liberal. Dallas has watched Ron Kirk lead this city and bring together the business community, the minority community. You can't do that in this city if you're a left-wing liberal.
Sprague: But the strategy makes sense, according to Republican media consultant Rob Allyn, who also ran Kirk's non-partisan bids for Dallas mayor.
Rob Allyn, Political Consultant: Ron Kirk's strategy has to revolve around his personality. That's what is going to take him to the United States Senate. John Cornyn's strategy has to revolve around issues and ideology. That's what's going to take John Cornyn to the U.S. Senate.
Sprague: Cornyn's plan may be working. The latest poll from the Houston Chronicle puts Cornyn ahead of Kirk by six points, with a three-point margin of error. And indeed, on the stump, Cornyn covers many issues. Nearly all of his campaign stops tie into one of four topics: national security, health care, families and the economy, which he tackles with a law and order approach.
Cornyn: I think long-term our economy is still very strong. I think what we're suffering from now is a loss of consumer confidence related to a few bad actors at the highest levels of the big corporations in America. And I believe as soon as the public sees that the government is very serious about making sure that the people who broke the law and who violated the public trust are brought to justice, then I think we'll begin to work our way out of this slow economic period.
Sprague: Still, Cornyn says reporters and Democrats are overstating the country's economic woes. In the past few weeks, Ron Kirk has begun firing back in the ideology debate. His website, once short on issues, is now replete with the candidate's stand on social security, prescription drugs and a balanced budget. When Cornyn says Kirk is out of step with Texans, Kirk responds that his vision of the state is more inclusive.
Kirk: Texas is conservative, but Texas is moderate and Texas is liberal. Texas is every hue you can imagine, every color, every faith, every person, and I believe we all deserve a voice too. If my opponent wants to sit over on that side of the aisle and say he's only going to speak for that part, then that leaves everybody else for us! [laughter] So, we're happy. We've got a big tent and we'll take you. [clapping]
Sprague: But in almost daily press releases, John Cornyn charges Kirk is pitching his campaign tent out of state and ignoring Texas voters. Gary Susswein, a reporter with the Austin American-Statesman, says Cornyn has made a campaign theme out of the "Where's Ron Kirk?" slogan.
Gary Susswein, Austin American-Statesman: The end of last week and the beginning of this week, he's out of town campaigning, which obviously Mr. Cornyn has been critical of and then he's coming back in the state this weekend, and doing a full swing through the Valley and South Texas. But to a large extent, he's been going to out of state fundraisers and then hitting Texas possibly when he's back in the state...
Sprague: ...making for another issue Kirk has to shrug off during his campaign stops.
Kirk: My opponent likes to know how many places he's been in the last three months and where I've been and leaves out the fact that we spent five months winning a primary. I don't keep track of those things because after awhile you start to think you're doing somebody a favor. There are a lot of people who run for office who say I've been to 1800 chicken dinners and I've been to that. If you don't want to go, shut up.
Sprague: Cornyn is also campaigning and raising lots money out of state, including an event with Vice Presidential aide Mary Matalin in Washington today. But his campaign takes issue with the guest lists at Kirk's events, which feature prominent Democrats like Senators Hilary Clinton and Tom Daschle. Republicans are also critical of the Kirk closed-door policy. Many of his fundraisers are unadvertised, private affairs that reporters are repeatedly turned away from, but such events are scheduled to give way to televised debates next month, as the campaign enters its final stage and the all-important undecided voters begin to choose sides. For KERA 90.1, I'm Suzanne Sprague.
To contact Suzanne Sprague, please send emails to ssprague@kera.org.