How important is the national picture in this Texas Senate race?
With the Senate majority hanging by a single vote, due to Jim Jeffords decision to desert Republicans, every seat is important. National liberal Democrats are particularly fixated on the Texas campaign. They want Ron Kirk to win to cement their control of the Senate and to personally humiliate the President in his home state. National liberals have fully mobilized behind Kirk Bill and Hillary Clinton have helped Kirk raise money, Al Gore donated to his campaign and Tom Daschle is pulling out all the stops to help Kirk. While I was traveling Texas this summer visiting 115 Texas towns, Kirk was on the east coast and in Hollywood raising liberal special interest cash. He was rarely seen in Texas, and then only in major urban areas. Instead he went to Washington seven times, New York twice, Las Vegas twice, Aspen, Nantucket, Vail and Hollywood and others. TCR: What is it going to take for you to win this race in November? It will take an all out effort by Texas conservatives. I will contin
