In Washington, party leaders' hopes are growing for state Sen. Dan McDonald's challenge to Rep. Jay Inslee. And in South Carolina, Republicans have long yearned to knock off nine-term Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. and now feel they have a strong candidate in York County council member Carl Gullick, who has held several fundraisers in Washington. The spending would begin after the Olympics, which end Oct. 1. House GOP strategists are trying to guard against depending on coattails from Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the presidential race. But Republicans believe the new spending flexibility could help them leverage his popularity if he remains strong.
Democrats scoff at such claims.
Officially, Republicans say they are simply studying the possibility of applying the Colorado ruling to their national spending decisions. But Republican lawyers say the party can ignore the limits nationally and argue that it was acting in the good-faith belief that the ruling gave it First Amendment protection throughout the country. Republicans have prepared an elaborate defense for applying it nationwide, however. One GOP lawyer, who spoke on condition that he not be named, said the party would depend on the standard that an appeals court ruling can be considered a persuasive authority in other circuits. Timothy E. Wirth in the 1986 Senate race.