Sen. Specter holds party for supporters

Although some pundits have already crossed U.S. Senator and University alumnus Arlen Specter off the list of possible Republican candidates for President in 1996, several hundred supporters gathered to "kick off" his campaign last night. The guests attending the event -- held in the a red, white and blue bedecked ballroom in Center City's Hotel Atop the Bellevue -- enjoyed a buffet-style dinner for a minimum donation of $250. Specter supporters such as Edward Dennis, a Law School alumnus, said they were willing to open their checkbooks because they feel strongly about Specter. "He has a willingness to take a principled stand and not be completely a hostage of the latest polls," he said. "That is refreshing." One issue Specter has taken a firm stand on is abortion. Currently, he is the only Republican campaigning for president who supports abortion rights. "I'm running for President because I don't like what's happening in the country and I don't like what's happening in the party," he said. Specter cited the First Amendment, freedom of religion and the separation of Church and State as three issues which would define his campaign. "The government has no place in abortion and no place in our bedrooms," he said. He also said he felt the controversy over Henry Foster's nomination for Surgeon General was "not complicated." He felt Foster should not be dropped from the nomination for performing abortions, adding that they are "medical procedures authorized under the United States Constitution." Specter's response towards those threatening to make cuts in higher education is that he will fight to maintain scholarships, saying "we need to provide an education to everyone who wants it, young and old." Specter also said that he refers to himself as a "social-libertarian" because he does not believe in the ultraconservative ideas of peers such as Pat Buchanan. Many of Specter's supporters said they had been with him since the start of his political career in Philadelphia. Bob Moss, who has worked for Specter for the past 22 years, commented on Specter's perseverance after losing three elections in the 1970s. "How many politicians do you know that lost three elections and came back for more?" Moss said. "You got to be tough to do that." Sam Katz, a former Philadelphia mayoral candidate, agreed. "The tenacity he brings to office has no peers," Katz said. College senior Carey Voigt is working on Specter's campaign. She said she likes Specter because he is "fiscally conservative" and "socially moderate." "I think Specter would be a great president," Voigt said. "I believe in the Republican party but I'm not an arch- conservative. "I think it's too early to count him out because if you look at where Bill Clinton was at this point in the last election, people laughed at him," she added. "There is no counting someone out this early in the game." According Voigt, the fundraiser brought in almost $1 million, a start comparable with his last senatorial race, during which he raised $11 million. Specter was also very positive about his future. "Before you leave we have a ledger in the outer lobby where we'll be taking reservations for a night in the Lincoln Room of the White House," he said. Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer Josh Fineman contributed to this article.