Lamar Alexander
He wears a flannel shirt and boots. He talks slow and soft. But just what was Lamar Alexander saying? He'd been in the race longer than just about anybody and pundits probably lost a few bucks by betting on his early exit, but his message was never very clear. Voters didn't know who he was, and the media couldn't figure out what he stands for. "Junior Tuesday" made it a moot point: after poor showings in eight states after impressive successes early on, he's dropped out of the race.
His plan was to run as an outsider, to cash in on the anti-incumbent fervor of 1994, but the Republican revolution pulled the rug out from under him. The "reform" efforts of the Republican Congress left him with nothing to run against, and Lamar had trouble finding something to run for.
Despite all this, Lamar remained at the bottom of the first tier of GOP candidates, somewhere close to his rival outsider, Pete Wilson. Just how does a lackluster former Tennessee Governor and practically invisible Nixon and Bush White House wonk upstage a respected veteran Senator like Richard Lugar? Answer: money. Reports showed that Alexander's campaign had raised about $7.5 million. This put Lamar in third place, only outdone by GOP bigwigs Bob Dole and Phil Gramm. But money only got Gramm so far; it couldn't save Lamar either. We'll miss his flannel shirts and piano stylings all the same.
Internet Resources:
- Come on Along!
- This official site is kinda like Lamar: it's dressed in plaid and it moves kinda slow. (Those with lagging connections beware!). You can read Lamar's mushy and vague issue stances, or watch him read them verbatim via QuickTime movies.
- Lamar Alexander For President
- Lamar's official "New Hampshire" page. The Alexander campaign prides itself on its early presence on the web, and they've doubled their presence with this page, containing info of "importance" to New Hampsire voters.