The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 2

FROM PAGE ONE (5) i I 2A THE TENNESSEAN www.tannmsean.com Alexander keeps seat ATI LW If If I Yl If-' 1 that he would support President George W. Bush and help him "strengthen our country at home" and maintain the united feeling that emerged after Sept 11, 200L 1 7 i'-. Jr ft: 1 i'4 -ttf friends and outgoing Sen. Fred Thompson, JOHN PARTIPILO STAFF enjoys the celebration of his victory in the campaign for the U.S. Senate seat U.S.

SENATE Candidate Total Pet Lamar Alexander (R) 862,845 55 Bob Clement (D) 682,927 44 Wesley M. Baker (i) 5,784 0 Karl S. Davidson fj) 2,132 0 Connie Gammon fj) 5,003 0 John Jay Hooker (i) 5,961 0 H. Gary Keplinger (i) 1 ,041 0 Basil J. Marceaux (i) 1,102 0 93 of precincts reporting "We are a much stronger country when we remember what unites us instead of dwelling on what divides us," Alexander said.

He thanked Clement for a generous congratulatory phone call and said he would work for all Tennesseans to improve education and employment opportunities. He asked his supporters to help him act on those American values that citizens clung to after the terrorist attacks. He listed them as "the freedom to see as far as we can see, pulling together in times of danger, our faith in the future. These are the principles that have united us as Tennesseans and united us as Americans." The cable network, CNN, projected him as the winner about an hour after polls closed. Clement conceded about 9:40 pan, addressing his supporters shortly after phoning Alexander to congratulate him on a tough campaign.

"I couldn't have worked any harder than I worked because I wanted you be proud of me," Clement told his supporters who gathered at The Coliseum. Surrounded by his tearful family, Clement thanked those who had worked for him, pledging to "fight for the people the rest of my life." He assured the somber crowd that "Bob Clement will continue to march forward." It was a race that drew national attention as Republicans and Democrats struggled for control of the Senate. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney visited the state several times, hoping to keep the seat Republican. Polls consistently showed Alexander leading the race. But Clement, who learned to campaign as a kid by following his father, former Gov.

Frank Clement, on the political trail, kept the fight competitive until the end. Alexander's supporters were jubilant. Bluegrass music and good spirits filled 1 the Vanderbilt Stadium Club last night, where few had serious concerns about how Alexander would do even as returns had just begun to flow in. tosiw (S(D "lw 1 r3 i ERIC PARSONS STAFF Elizabeth Clement hugs her father, Bob Clement, after he decides to concede. resulted in the collapse of his financial empire.

Clement claimed that his role was a minor advisory one, earned him very little money and took place many years J. before the Butcher financial empire began to teeter. Tennesseem Staff Writers Anne Paine and Brad Schrade contnbuted to this story. ident of the AFL-CIO. "But there are indicators in our favor.

It's a matter of whether we got out the vote. I imagine the rain impacted it some." This battle for the U.S. Senate seat was born in a surprise announcement when the popular Thompson decided he would not seek another term. Both millionaire candidates tended toward centrist stances on most issues but tangled in several televised debates over each other's business dealings and how best to improve education and educatioa Both Alexander and Clement have distinguished political pedigrees and deep Tennessee roots. In addition to serving two consecutive I' IK -W7 Lamar Alexander, surrounded by family and The band, playing such numbers as Thank God I'm a Country Boy and Fox on the Run, drew more attention than the multiple giant-screen televisions announcing the "score." Festive touches included red and black balloons, representative of Alexander's trademark plaid shirt, and a table of fruit and cheese that sported a watermelon head of the Statue of Liberty.

Clement's supporters, including U.S. Reps. Bart Gordon and John Tanner, had gathered at The Coliseum's club level for what they hoped would turn into a victory celebratioa After weeks of poll results that showed their man losing, Clement supporters still had begun their wait with optimism, Elizabeth Wix, 73, has been voting for the Clement family dating to when Clement's father ran for governor and was hoping the family would produce another win. "I'm betting on it," she said while the early returns went against Clement. The rain clouds brought an ominous start to the day for Democrats, but the fact that the weather cleared in the afternoon, particularly in West Tennessee and Memphis, was seen as a hopeful sign.

"I've said all along this race is a swim upstream," said Jim Neeley, the state pres- Bredesen Democrats yesterday afternoon said they believed the wind was blowing in their directioa Middle and West Tennessee, where Democrats run strong, cleared of rain in time for after-work voters, while rain continued to fall in the eastern part of the state, strong Republican territory, said Will Pinkstoa Democratic Party spokesmaa Crossover appeal appeared to be a key to a Bredesen win in a Republican-leaning state like Tennessee, said Bruce Oppen-heimer, political science professor at Vanderbilt University. Polling showed Bredesen with a slight lead as the race got under way after the August primary. Polls conducted as the campaigns swung into high gear in September showed the race had tightened to a neck-and-neck competition between the health-care executive-turned mayor and the four-term congrcssmaa Hilleary, 43, picked up endorsements from the National Rifle Association, Right to Life, the National Federation of Independent Business, Tennessee Conservative Union and various law enforcement groups including the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police. Bredesen, 58, won the support of the Sierra Club, Tennessee Conservation Voters the Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police and certain other law enforcement terms as governor (1979-87), Alexander, served as U.S. secretary of education during the administration of the first president Bush from 1991 to 1993.

He launched races for president twice, in 1995 and 1999. Clement was elected U.S. representative from the 5th District in 1988 and is serving his eighth consecutive term as a congressman. He grew up in the political spotlight with a father who served three terms as governor They bickered most contentiously over each other's business dealings. Clement charged that Alexander made inordinate amounts of money through his political contacts that put him into high-yield, low-risk deals.

The most cited example was an arrangement with former Sea Howard Baker in which Alexander, while governor, put $1 into a group that sought the rights to buy a now-defunct Knoxville newspaper. He wound up with more than $620,000 when the group sold the rights to Gannett Co. which owns The Tennes-sean. Alexander pointed out that none of his business dealings has ever been shown to be illegal. In return, Alexander charged that Clement served as a board member of a bank that was owned by Jake Butcher, the discredited banker who served time in prison for fraudulent practices that Bredesen who was raised in a small town in New York, contrasted his experience in private business and as mayor of the state's second-largest city to the lack of similar experience on Hilleary's part.

The candidates sparred over fund raising throughout the campaign Even before Bredesen put any of his own money into the race, I lilleary was raising the alarm, saying his opponent intended to bankroll his campaign in excess of legal limits The law 1 lilleary referred was passed by the legislature at Sundquist's urging in 1995, but the state attorney general had opined that it was unenforceable. According to the attorney general a 1976 VS. Supreme Court decision said such limits were unconstitutional because they vio strong in Eaststate GOVERNOR Candidate Total Pet Phil Bredesen (D) 788,494 50 Van Hilleary (R) 752,082 48 David Gatchell (I) 2,736 0 Gabriel Givens (i) 1,500 0 James E. Herren fj) 1,139 0 John Jay Hooker fj) 4,268 0 Ray Ledford (i) 1,479 0 Marivuana Stout Leinoff (I) 584 0 Basil J. Marceaux (I) 287 0 Edwin C.

Sanders (i) 7,198 0 Ronny Simmons (i) 611 0 Francis Waldron (I) 608 0 RobertO. Watson 545 0 Carl Two Feathers Whitaker 0 Charles VWilhoK Jr. (i) 888 0 93 of predncts reporting 'I- SHELLEY MAYS STAFF Media from across Tennessee Interview Republican gubernatorial candidate Van Hilleary at his party headquarters in Franklin yesterday. groups and various labor organizations including the Tennessee Education Association and Tennessee State Employees Association The state's largest newspapers also endorsed Bredesen 1 lilleary, who was raised in Spring City, capitalized on his Tennessee roots and degrees from the University of Tennessee and the Cumberland School of Law, casting the I I.irvard-cducated Bredesen as the millionaire outsider who did not share the values of hard-working Tennesseans. Seeking to dispel such notions Bredesen spent considerably more time fund raising and campaigning throughout the state tlian he did in 1994, when as Nashville's mayor, he faced another congressman, Don Sundquist 3 ceding last night.

"It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is. I have no regrets, and I don't know what I would have done differently, but I think this race is a testimony to hard work." In his concession speech, Hilleary said, "I believe that, although we did not win, we did succeed. We made the case to Tennessee we should put the income tax debate behind us, and we should focus our energy on reforming our schools instead of that" Rain in eastern Tennessee yesterday may have negated the bump in support that visits by President Bush gave his cam-paiga Hilleary said. "We worked real hard. We didn't want to leave anything on the table.

We didn't want to have to look back," Hilleary said. Throughout the day, both studied the weather forecasts as closely as they did the reports coming in from their campaign volunteers at precincts throughout the state. The rain that fell across the state was expected to depress turnout but to the detriment of which gubernatorial candidate? "I think the team that probably has the most fervor for their candidate, the rain probably helps" I lilleary said. "And I think we have that today, all day long. Everywhere I went today, I got the big thumbs- Loffierys 1 ing and after-school programs "It looks great," state Sen Steve Cohen D-Memphls the chief advocate of a lottery, said as returns started tumbling in "Eighteen years (of promoting a kmcry) have paid off.

I always felt we'd get 60." If voters rejected the amendment, Tennessee would remain one of three states without a single form of legalized gambling. I lawaii and Utah arc the other two. Michael Gilstrap. president of the Gambling Free Tennessee Alliance, the leading anti-lottery group, joked that he would move to Hawaii if the amendment passed. But he said he wasn't giv ing "We are The from the early Both in the that voters, ktttcry chances Hut said lated a candidate's free speech rights Despite that, Hilleary stressed that it still was on the books Bredesen said he needed to spend his own money at least $3 million by Election Day to counter money the national Republican Party was pouring into Hilleary's campaign not to mention the visits by President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other high-profile Republicans including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who gained hero status in the aftermath of the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Hilleary also pummeled Bredesen on ta Issues insisting that Bredesen would pull a Sundquist and champion an income tax after saying he wouldn't I le also highlighted the three property tax increases Bredesen pushed through the Metro Council as mayor. Bredesen said he did not support an income tax but left the door open for supporting one in his second term GiLstrap's group yesterday for a loan it took from Gambling Free Tennessee a not-for-profit corporation that GFTA set up to accept donations from other not-for-profit groups to pay for the campaign's educationil materials Cohen said the money was transferred to pay for purposes other than education Gilstrap said Gambling Free Tennessee Inc's board of directors authorized the loan He continued to emphasize that the money paid only for educational materials not get-out-the-votc drives In compliance with Internal Revenue Service regulations Contact Haft wmw Mchoal Cmi It rrcaiennessBan oorn or 2598838. Some worried legal jargon would turn off voters up yet. don't know where the votes coming from" Gilstrap said. early reports were obviously early voting.

We weren't on air with any advertising when voting began" sides had just one TV commercial, and both began airing Lite campaign Lottery supporters had worried the legal jargon of the referendum would turn off many piKcnti.il who would pick a candidate for governor but then skip the question hurting the for approval. Gcofl Layman a political scientist at Vanderbilt University, the lottery propos.il probably appealed to people who already buy lottery tickets in other states Tennessee is bordered by four states that have lotteries Many voters also saw a way to put more money into education without raising taxes I-ayman said. "People in this state care about education and they also know this stale doesn't do a very good job in public education" he said. The pro-lottery campaign argued that a lottery modeled on Georgia's would keep Tennessee's best and brightest students in the state, eventually raising the number of state residents with college degrees Georgia's 9-year-old lottery funds the HOPE Scholarship program, known nationally for giv ing a full-tuition scholarship to attend a state schcxil to every Georgia student who graduates from high school with a average. Cohen and other lottery supporters argued that the benefits of such a program would trickle down to K-12 sch(xLs where students and their parents would have a financial incentive to perform academically and to be involved.

Cohen's organization the Tennessee Student Scholarship Lottery Coalition also said a lottery would add to the state's sales tax revenues since lottery players now are buying other goods when they buy tickets in other states Ck-orgia, Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia arc the four states that border Tennessee and have lotteries Lottery opponents led by GFTA and augmented by churches across the state, stressed that a lottery would do little for traditional K-12 instruction and could hurt taxpayers by burdening the state's colleges and universities with higher enrollments They added that purchases of lottery tickets which would be taxable, would actually drain sales tax revenue from the state. Anti-lottery forces also argued that a lottery would prey on poor people, create a new gnmn of gambling addicts and to an increase In state government corruption Ghcn continued to criticize.