Alexander Throws Hat Into 2000 Race

WASHINGTON — Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander took a major step Friday toward making his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination, vowing to profit from the lessons of his failed effort in 1996.

That will mean, for one thing, a change of attire. Instead of the plaid shirt he wore during his previous run as a symbol of his “outside the Beltway” message, Alexander will favor a business suit on the campaign trail this time around.

“More people paid attention to my shirt than to my message,” Alexander said as he officially established an exploratory committee to clear the way for his candidacy. “This time I want them to hear my message about what I would do to bring out the best in the country.”

Besides his hard-earned experience in 1996, Alexander’s assets include a network of leftover supporters in the early battleground states of New Hampshire and Iowa.

He also has a fund-raising base to call upon. “I’ve got the names of 8,000 people . . . who gave me $1,000 in 1996,” he said, pointing out that he raised more in that campaign than any GOP candidate other than Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas and the eventual nominee, former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas.

But Alexander remains little more than an asterisk in most national polls, and a study of his fund-raising done for The Times and CNN by the Virginia-based Campaign Study Group indicates that he remains heavily dependent on his home state for his financial support. To be successful, candidates generally must demonstrate nationwide fund-raising prowess.

In 1996, more than 40% of the $12 million he garnered for his presidential campaign came from Tennessee.

What’s more, if Alexander formally declares his candidacy, he could face plenty of competition as he seeks support from the middle-of-the-road Republicans most likely to respond to his message. In addition to Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the front-runner in several early polls, Alexander might have to contend with Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Elizabeth Hanford Dole, the wife of the ’96 nominee.

Dole’s potential was underlined by a poll taken in New Hampshire amid the publicity over her decision Monday to leave her job as head of the American Red Cross, reportedly to weigh a White House bid. The survey of 300 GOP voters, taken by GOP pollster Whit Ayres, showed her vaulting into first place with 27%, followed by Bush with 23%. Alexander scored only 7% in the poll.

Alexander, 58, hopes to overcome his rivals with a message keyed heavily to education and tax reform. Drawing on expertise he developed as secretary of Education in the Bush administration, he would overhaul federal aid to public schools, funneling much of the money directly to local schools, teachers and parents.

Alexander also advocates what he calls a “family friendly tax cut.”