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kins, a co-chair of Michigan for
Buchanan for President, said ac-
cusations of anti-Semitism are
not helping Mr. Buchanan's cam-
paign.
"It's a smear campaign of in-
nuendos with no basis in fact,"
Mr. Adkins said. "It's a case of his
statements being taken out of
context."
Other Republican Party mem-
bers feel otherwise about Mr.
Buchanan's remarks — a few
years ago, the commentator
called Capitol Hill "Israeli-occu-
pied territory" and argued that
diesel-engine exhaust could not
have killed Jews murdered at
Treblinka — and are speaking
out.
Individual Jewish Republi-
cans, including Republican ac-
tivist Edward C. Levy Jr., who
generally does not comment pub-
licly on political matters, made a
point of saying he will not, under
any circumstances, support Pat
Buchanan.
The National Jewish Coali-
tion, a Washington-based grass-
roots organization of Jewish
Republicans, recently announced
its opposition to Mr. Buchanan's
candidacy for president.
Aside from David Duke, the
former leader of the Klu Klux
Klan, the NJC has never before
publicly opposed a Republican
candidate.
With the primary season un-
der way, some expected the field
of Republican presidential hope-
fuls to be smaller than it is. But
Bob Dole, Steve Forbes and
Patrick Buchanan continue to
run neck-in-neck with Lamar
Alexander slipping behind.
Now, according to a recent poll,
the probability that Michigan
voters will embrace Mr.
Buchanan is highly likely.
Last week, the Lansing-based
independent research and polling
firm EPIC/MRA asked 300 like-
ly Michigan Republican prima-
ry voters which candidate they
would support.
The poll, conducted for WXYZ-
TV, shows Senator Dole ahead of
Mr. Buchanan. However, the
Kansas senator is losing ground
in Michigan while Mr. Buchanan
is gaining support, positioning
him to win the Michigan prima-
rY.
Jim Alexander said contrary
to popular belief, Mr. Buchanan
has not been "successful" in the
primaries. He points to the 1992
primary election, when Mr.
Buchanan ran 10 points ahead
of the votes he received this year
in New Hampshire.
"Buchanan is getting the same
vote total he would get in a gen-
eral election," Mr. Alexander
said. "He is attracting the 'hard'
social conservative vote. Fifty-
five percent of Americans are vot-
ing for mainstream Republican
candidates. If it boils down to a
one-on-one race, he becomes the
Patrick Buchanan: Making strides.
minor irritant he has been in the
past."
Unlike Jim Alexander, who
doesn't think Mr. Buchanan has
a chance of coming close to the
presidency, Republican activist
Harriet Rotter is fearful Mr.
Buchanan could succeed. She
feels Mr. Buchanan's stance on
issues, including his anti-NAF-
TA and anti-GATT trade posi-
tions, broadens his appeal beyond
the Republican Party.
With the primary race so close,
some political pundits predict Mr.
Buchanan will win his base of
support — typically 25 percent
— unless the contest opens up or
one of the candidates drops out.
According to Jim Alexander, if
Sen. Dole and Lamar Alexander
continue to split the votes in up-
coming primaries, one of them
may consider dropping out before
the Michigan vote to allow the
other a chance to gain a higher
number of Republican conven-
tion delegates.
Jim Alexander doesn't think
that candidate will have to be
Lamar Alexander. "Dole has to
prove he can win primaries, too,
before Alexander bows out," Jim
Alexander said. "Dole hasn't
shown any strength at all."
Frank Mamat, a longtime sup-
porter of Bob Dole and a Repub-
lican activist, said he is
impressed with Mr. Buchanan's
political skills. "I don't agree with
his substantive positions, but he
does have the ability to commu-
nicate and brings zest to some ap-
athetic campaigns by the other
candidates? he said. "He fires up
a crowd, and the crowd seems to
be enjoying itself and that radi-
ates."
Mr. Mamat said Michigan's
primary could be an important
battleground if there is still no
clear front-runner.
Mr. Mamat speculates a lot of
Sen. Phil Gramm's support will
go to Mr. Buchanan. "Gramm
was one the best-organized can-
didates in Michigan," Mr. Mamat
said. "Combine those votes with
the Right to Life and Pat Robert-
son supporters here, and that el-
ement could be critical." ❑