It appears that we are about to see something new in American politics: a de facto national ticket featuring a First Lady and a vice president, each laying claim to the boss’s legacy. While she could still back away, sources tell NEWSWEEK that she will almost certainly form an “exploratory committee” this summer–a decision that would all but guarantee a campaign launch by fall. “She’s gone from ‘Tell me why?’ to ‘Tell me why not?’ " said one of her closest advisers. “It’s as close to a done deal as you can get,” said another.
Nobody’s promised Hillary a Rose Garden. Indeed, the spring bloom has already faded from her prospective candidacy. She began far ahead of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in test matches, but the two now run neck and neck in polls. Giuliani could enjoy something close to unity in the state’s fractious Republican Party. Gov. George Pataki, NEWSWEEK has learned, will soon announce that he won’t challenge Giuliani for the GOP Senate nomination. Still, the prospect of a tough race isn’t dissuading Clinton. She knows that Democrats are on her side, and so is history. No New York City mayor has been elected to statewide office since 1868, and Robert Kennedy–another First Family member called a “carpetbagger”–won a Senate seat in 1964.
The more intriguing question is how her candidacy would mesh–or interfere–with the campaign of her putative ally in the White House, Al Gore. “The implications for Gore are very serious,” former New York governor Mario Cuomo told NEWSWEEK. “She has to think very hard on this issue.” She would upstage her party’s presidential candidate in a critical state, but there are also some potential benefits to the pairing. “Anything that generates excitement among Democrats is good for us,” said Democratic polltaker Harrison Hickman. Being outshone is not so terrible if it draws the GOP’s fire away from Gore. “And it’ll give the president something to do,” said another Democratic insider. “If you’re Gore, do you want Clinton calling The New York Times about your campaign or Hillary’s?”
Even so, Gore aides made it clear early on that they weren’t thrilled with the idea of her candidacy. She will compete not only for attention but for money and fund-raisers’ precious time. She won’t be available to campaign nationwide on his behalf. Her candidacy could resuscitate all the sex-and-money-scandal stories that Gore would rather forget. And as she tries to excite her New York base, she may force Gore to answer for her liberalism. Hillary, for her part, has no choice but to openly embrace Gore’s candidacy, even though his lone challenger for the Democratic nomination–Bill Bradley–could be more appealing to her own core support. “How do you separate yourself from Gore?” asks Cuomo.
Hillary has been in this place before. Exactly a quarter century ago she had to choose whether to go home to Chicago and launch a legal practice or go to Arkansas and cast her fate with Bill Clinton. Then, she deferred to another man’s political career. She isn’t likely to do so again.
