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McCain's
Mavericks

Some grassroots Jews
are going against the big money.

JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent

I

f you want to know about
Jewish support for Sen. John
McCain, just talk to Sid Rosen
in Phoenix, Ariz.
The lifelong Democrat is a leading
supporter of the Republican presiden-
tial contender — the only challenger
seen as having a ghost of a chance to
defeat GOP frontrunner Texas Gov.
George W. Bush.
For Rosen, the equation is simple:
McCain has walked the pro-Israel
walk, while Bush is just learning to
talk the talk.
"He's been there from the very
beginning," said Rosen, a Tombstone,
Ariz. native who has known McCain
for 18 years. "The question I ask my
friends who are liberal Democrats is
simple: if a Republican is going to be
elected president, do you want an
unknown, a Johnny-come-lately on the
I iddle East? Or do you want someone
with a 20-year, virtually 100 percent
voting record in support of the state of
Israel — like John McCain?"
_.1Sen. McCain's stunning 18-point
ictory in the GOP contest in New
ampshire this week could shift the
political calculus among other Jewish
oters as well — although even
epublicans loyalists say no GOP can-
didate is likely to equal Ronald
feagan's 40 percent vote from the
ewish electorate.
"It's a tremendous victory, and it
ill rock the entire political establish-
ment," said Marshall Wittman, a top
inalyst for the Heritage Foundation
ind a charter member of McCain's
itchen cabinet. Wittman pointed to
he overwhelming preference of
epublican movers and shakers —
ewish and non-Jewish — for Bush, an
dvantage McCain handily trumped
n Tuesday.
"It's an unprecedented victory
i gainst a candidate with all the money
nd all the advantages," he said.
Before the vote, Wittman predicted
hat McCain was the Republican con-
ender most likely, to attract Jewish •

'

r

k

swing voters in November. The stun-
ning New Hampshire victory, he said,
could accelerate that shift, despite the
fact most Jewish Republican leaders are
lined up behind Bush.
Over on the Democratic side, Vice
President Al Gore's win over former
Sen. Bill Bradley was less than over-
whelming. But Gore did enough to
maintain the positive momentum his
campaign has built in recent weeks.
And he did enough to prevent any
realignment of Jewish voters.
"Nothing happened to change the
perception that Gore is the preferred
candidate," said Kean College political
scientist Gilbert Kahn.
Jews seem comfortable with both
Democratic candidates, Kahn said, but
Gore's frontrunner status and his long-
time support for Israel give him the
edge.
The Republican battle shifts to
South Carolina, which will hold its
primary on Feb. 19. For the
Democrats, the next big showdown is
on March 7, with primaries in 16
states—including New York,
California and Michigan.
The New Hampshire primary repre-
sented a major setback for religious
right forces. The candidates who
wooed that constituency fared poorly.
Gary Bauer, the former Family
Research Council head, polled only 1
percent of the vote, and was expected
to drop out post haste; ex-diplomat
Alan Keyes won 6 percent and pub-
lisher Malcolm "Steve" Forbes won 13
percent — not a good return on the
many dollars he spent, political
observers say.
Sid Rosen and the small vanguard
of Jewish McCain supporters have
been fighting a lonely battle until this
week. National Jewish GOP leaders,
citing Bush's wide lead, have generally
shunned the Arizona Republican,
despite his record on Israel and an
image of integrity that has lifted his
campaign nationally. And in private,
many Jewish Republican bigwigs rage
against McCain's leadership in the
effort to pass campaign finance reform
laws. Keep in mind that the Bush cam-

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