on the campaign trail in North Dakota
Originally published in the San Jose Mercury News
Posted on Fri, Jan. 30, 2004
Kerry gets lawmaker endorsements; Clark telemarketing dispute settled
Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. - Four Democratic state lawmakers and Kathi Gilmore, North Dakota's treasurer, endorsed John Kerry's presidential bid on Friday.
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said the campaign of another Democratic presidential candidate, Wesley Clark, had agreed to stop making prerecorded telephone calls to prospective voters in the run-up to Tuesday's caucuses.
Stenehjem says earlier calls by the Clark campaign violated North Dakota's anti-telemarketing law, a contention the campaign disputed. The agreement does not concede any violation, and Stenehjem agreed not to seek any penalties.
Rep. Eliot Glassheim, D-Grand Forks, the House assistant minority leader, and House colleagues Lonny Winrich of Grand Forks and Mary Ekstrom of Fargo endorsed Kerry's campaign Friday, along with Sen. Tom Seymour, D-Minot.
Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, placed first in the Iowa caucuses two weeks ago and in New Hampshire's primary election last Tuesday.
Winrich and Ekstrom had earlier supported Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., a former House Democratic leader, who dropped out of the presidential race after he finished fourth in Iowa.
Two of North Dakota's three Democratic statewide officeholders, Gilmore and Wayne Sanstead, the superintendent of public instruction, have endorsed Kerry, who plans to campaign in Fargo on Sunday.
The third, Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, has not endorsed any of the seven Democratic presidential hopefuls.
A poll by The (Fargo) Forum newspaper and WDAY-TV of Fargo showed Kerry with 31 percent support among likely Democratic caucus participants, although 40 percent were undecided. Clark had support from 15 percent of those surveyed, while no other candidate exceeded 6 percent.
A supporter of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, displayed Kucinich signs and buttons while campaigning outdoors near a busy Bismarck intersection on Friday. Temperatures were more than 20 degrees below zero, when the wind's effects were included. [ed. note: better him than me in -20 temperatures! Now that's dedication]
Dr. Vinod Seth said he supports Kucinich's plan for offering universal health care to Americans, administered by the government.
The proposal will devote less money to administration than private insurance companies spend on their own bureaucracies, and bolster Medicare, Seth said. Medicare provides health insurance coverage for older people.
"It is really a break from the past," Seth said of Kucinich's proposal. "His plan permanently saves and improves Medicare, while eliminating duplicative private and government bureaucracies."
Kucinich campaigned in Fargo on Jan. 13.
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