ALBANY - In February, when fiery conservative John Spencer said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton “aids and abets our enemies” in the war on terrorism, the former first lady's camp declined to comment.
Six weeks later, when it was reported that Spencer's newly announced rival for the Republican Senate nomination, Kathleen Troia “KT” McFarland, had told a GOP gathering that Clinton had helicopters flying over her Long Island home to spy on her, the senator's team was quick to respond.
“We at the Hillary campaign wish Ms. McFarland the best and hope she gets the rest she needs,” Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson said then.
Such has often been the case in this tale of two challengers:
Clinton in recent months despite having been a big-city mayor and winning the backing of the chairmen of the state Republican and Conservative parties; the other (McFarland) getting plenty of attention even though her last government job was 20 years ago, she has never run for office and she only began her campaign last month.
Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said the reason is clear.
“They would much rather face Spencer,” said Sheinkopf, who is not involved in this year's Senate race.
That is a view shared by the McFarland camp.
“Hillary Clinton and her campaign team obviously would prefer to run against John Spencer, so they are taking potshots at KT McFarland every chance they get,” said McFarland aide William O'Reilly. “It's the right strategy for them.”
According to Sheinkopf, McFarland is positioned more in the center of the political spectrum with her support of gay and abortion rights while Spencer is “way out to the right.”
“He's an easy target. New Yorkers are centrist by nature,” said Sheinkopf. “One has to presume Senator Clinton is a candidate for president and the strategic imperative here (in 2006) is to pile up big numbers.”
Dismissing such talk, aides to the former Yonkers mayor said the Clinton camp doesn't want to engage Spencer because he is raising serious issues that could hurt her now and if she runs for president in 2008.
“They are trying to avoid this race and look forward to 2008,” said Spencer campaign adviser Kevin Collins. “The things we are talking to her about are things that have implications to her for 2008.”
In January, when Spencer took Clinton to task for “politicizing national security” by complaining in a fundraising letter about President Bush's use of domestic warrantless wiretaps to fight terrorists, Clinton campaign aide Ann Lewis declined to comment.
Nine days later, when Spencer said Clinton should “do the honorable thing” by taking to the Senate floor to apologize for saying the House of Representatives is “run like a plantation” by its GOP leadership, Wolfson declined to comment.
And at the end of March, when Spencer went to a pregnancy center in Brooklyn to say Clinton and “her liberal Democratic friends” were trying to thwart the anti-abortion, pro-adoption message pushed by such facilities, the Clinton camp again gave Spencer the brushoff, saying Spencer was not the senator's opponent.
“Ask KT McFarland,” Wolfson suggested.
Wolfson brushed aside questions from The Associated Press on Monday about whether the Clinton camp might be trying to influence the GOP nominating process.
“It's not something I think about because that's not something I have any control over,” he said. When pressed, he added, “I'm not going to discuss strategy.”
In fact, in the wake of the questioning about the apparent strategy, the Clinton camp has begun showing a bit more public interest in Spencer.
On Wednesday, Wolfson responded when it came out that Spencer had sent a fundraising letter to potential donors nationwide attacking Clinton as having a “frightening lack of morals and ethics,” of engaging in “back-stabbing character assassinations” and of being driven by “reckless, unbridled ambition.”
Claiming Spencer's campaign was “long on insults, short on ideas,” the Clinton adviser said the potential challenger's “angry, over-the-top rhetoric snarls for itself.”
While Wolfson declined to discuss the apparent change in how Spencer was being handled, the former mayor has been attracting increased media attention.
“We at the Hillary campaign wish Ms. McFarland the best and hope she gets the rest she needs,” Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson said then.
Such has often been the case in this tale of two challengers:
Clinton in recent months despite having been a big-city mayor and winning the backing of the chairmen of the state Republican and Conservative parties; the other (McFarland) getting plenty of attention even though her last government job was 20 years ago, she has never run for office and she only began her campaign last month.
Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said the reason is clear.
“They would much rather face Spencer,” said Sheinkopf, who is not involved in this year's Senate race.
That is a view shared by the McFarland camp.
“Hillary Clinton and her campaign team obviously would prefer to run against John Spencer, so they are taking potshots at KT McFarland every chance they get,” said McFarland aide William O'Reilly. “It's the right strategy for them.”
According to Sheinkopf, McFarland is positioned more in the center of the political spectrum with her support of gay and abortion rights while Spencer is “way out to the right.”
“He's an easy target. New Yorkers are centrist by nature,” said Sheinkopf. “One has to presume Senator Clinton is a candidate for president and the strategic imperative here (in 2006) is to pile up big numbers.”
Dismissing such talk, aides to the former Yonkers mayor said the Clinton camp doesn't want to engage Spencer because he is raising serious issues that could hurt her now and if she runs for president in 2008.
“They are trying to avoid this race and look forward to 2008,” said Spencer campaign adviser Kevin Collins. “The things we are talking to her about are things that have implications to her for 2008.”
In January, when Spencer took Clinton to task for “politicizing national security” by complaining in a fundraising letter about President Bush's use of domestic warrantless wiretaps to fight terrorists, Clinton campaign aide Ann Lewis declined to comment.
Nine days later, when Spencer said Clinton should “do the honorable thing” by taking to the Senate floor to apologize for saying the House of Representatives is “run like a plantation” by its GOP leadership, Wolfson declined to comment.
And at the end of March, when Spencer went to a pregnancy center in Brooklyn to say Clinton and “her liberal Democratic friends” were trying to thwart the anti-abortion, pro-adoption message pushed by such facilities, the Clinton camp again gave Spencer the brushoff, saying Spencer was not the senator's opponent.
“Ask KT McFarland,” Wolfson suggested.
Wolfson brushed aside questions from The Associated Press on Monday about whether the Clinton camp might be trying to influence the GOP nominating process.
“It's not something I think about because that's not something I have any control over,” he said. When pressed, he added, “I'm not going to discuss strategy.”
In fact, in the wake of the questioning about the apparent strategy, the Clinton camp has begun showing a bit more public interest in Spencer.
On Wednesday, Wolfson responded when it came out that Spencer had sent a fundraising letter to potential donors nationwide attacking Clinton as having a “frightening lack of morals and ethics,” of engaging in “back-stabbing character assassinations” and of being driven by “reckless, unbridled ambition.”
Claiming Spencer's campaign was “long on insults, short on ideas,” the Clinton adviser said the potential challenger's “angry, over-the-top rhetoric snarls for itself.”
While Wolfson declined to discuss the apparent change in how Spencer was being handled, the former mayor has been attracting increased media attention.
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