Clinton Downplays Importance
Asked about the campaign today, Clinton downplayed the influence he could have on the race.
     “The most important actors in this drama are Al Gore and Gov. Bush,” said Clinton. “They are the only actors that have some sway.”
     “ There are only two things a president who is not running can do,” Clinton said. “You can tell people what you think the condition of the country is and what the stakes are, and you can try to rally the people that are already with you in the hope of getting a bigger turnout.”
     As he decides how best to use Clinton’s support, Gore finds himself confronted with a difficult balancing act.
     The vice president needs to ensure a large turnout, which historically has benefited Democratic candidates. He also must win over the election’s swing voters: the independents and undecided voters both he and Bush have courted extensively.
     Internal polling by the Gore campaign indicates undecided voters in the battleground states would have a mixed response to presidential appeals for their support. An ABCNEWS poll released Oct. 21 also shows support for Clinton’s policies does not directly benefit Gore.
     Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said they approved of Clinton’s policies, but 63 percent held an unfavorable impression of the president “as a person.”
     And among those who approve of Clinton’s programs while disapproving of him personally, 60 percent said they supported Gore, suggesting the baggage of the impeached president is weighing down his vice president.

Senate Support Needed?
So far, the White House has only confirmed that Clinton will campaign for Gore in Kentucky, California, and New York, where the president’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is leading in her Senate race against Rep. Rick Lazio.
     In the last week, Clinton has spent all or part of four days in New York stumping and raising funds for the first lady, who has a slight edge in the polls.
     But while Clinton has done much of his recent campaigning in New York, the Gore campaign’s insistence that he stay out of Michigan and Pennsylvania could have an impact on the Democrats’ chances of regaining control of the Senate.
     Debbie Stabenow, the party’s Senate candidate in Michigan, has asked Clinton to stump in the state on her behalf, as she tries to unseat the Republican incumbent, Sen. Spencer Abraham.
     In Pennsylvania, the Democratic Senate candidate, Ron Klink, trails GOP incumbent Rick Santorum in the polls and could use a boost as the election draws near.
     Currently the Republicans hold the majority in the Senate by a 54 to 46 margin, but have more incumbents locked in closely contested races, and the Democrats have not ruled out their chances of gaining a majority.