Bush’s advisers are so uncertain that Simon can win–even against the unpopular incumbent governor, Democrat Gray Davis–that they are crafting a California strategy for 2004 without him. White House adviser Karl Rove hinted last week that Bush won’t do TV ads for Simon, normally a good money-saving campaign move. While Bush worked the crowd at an event last week, Simon waited outside in a car. “We take the White House lead,” says a Simon staffer.
Instead, W’s team is lavishing attention on the GOP’s money men in California. Bush lost California by more than a million votes in 2000–and picking up support in the state is pivotal to his re-election. Bush and Rove gave top fund-raisers (who weren’t Simon supporters in the primary) first-class treatment: bear hugs, limo rides and lifts on Air Force One.
Simon told NEWSWEEK the fraud verdict has “definitely been a distraction,” but insists it will be overturned. The nominee says he can be a “big asset” to Bush in 2004. If that’s true, nobody’s told the White House.
