Dem. Senate hopeful picks up the pace

His campaign is being outspent by his opponent's and he is down in the polls. But Democratic Congressman Ron Klink, fighting to oust Republican Rick Santorum from his Pennsylvania Senate seat on November 7, says he is anything but defeated. "I truly believe his votes [as senator] hurt the citizens of Pennsylvania," Klink said of Santorum. "He needs to be removed, and I think I'm in a position to remove him." This same fighting spirit enabled Klink to beat out five other Democratic contenders last spring in the primary race. President Clinton recently joined on in Klink's fight, which until last month had been devoid of star-studded party support. Clinton will be coming to the state next Wednesday to raise money for Klink -- as of June 30, the candidate had raised $2.2 million to Santorum's $7.1 million. According to many analysts, the embattled Klink needs all the help he can get. A Mason-Dixon survey for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette released last week said he trails Santorum by 18 percentage points. "At this stage in the race, Clinton's visit looks like somewhat of a desperate move for Klink's people," said William Green, a Republican political consultant. But Penn State at Harrisburg Professor Michael Young sees things quite the opposite. Clinton's visit "shows that the Democrats believe the race has become a winnable race," the Political Science professor said. "They are going to put money into [the race], and the biggest resource they have is the President of the United States." Experts have said that Klink lacked big-name Democratic support early in the race because of his conservative views and because Democratic Party officials thought their resources could be better spent on other Senate races around the country. Despite early indications that Santorum would be vulnerable this year, he now seems to largely control his own destiny and the race has been overshadowed by closer elections in states like New York and Michigan. Klink has made health care and education a big part of his campaign, and downplayed his pro-life and anti-gun control views. He is against reducing college loans -- unlike Santorum -- and has proposed cutting class sizes by using federal funds to hire 100,000 new teachers. Things may be turning around for the former TV news anchorman. A recent television ad campaign for Klink has been paid for by national Democrats -- welcome help for a candidate fighting to make himself known. And Klink has recently received a swath of endorsements, the latest from the National Association of Social Workers. "The social workers of Pennsylvania recognize the need for a strong voice in the U.S. Senate," Klink said. "I have fought to improve the lives of Pennsylvania's working families in Congress, and I will continue to champion their causes as the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania." Klink, who has been a U.S. congressman for eight years, began his career as a politician because of the Congressional redistricting after the 1990 Census. "I didn't like the idea of the congressman who would represent me representing me," Klink said, explaining that his opponent in 1992 had previously represented a district that was joined with his own. Klink won and currently represents the 4th Congressional District, an area of suburbs northwest of Pittsburgh. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Klink was a newsman for the Pittsburgh TV station KDKA. Journalism is the only business, besides politics, he has known -- after graduating from high school, Klink went to broadcasting school and then worked as a radio journalist. Since coming to Washington, Klink has made a name for himself by co-sponsoring the Patient's Bill of Rights and introducing the Social Security Preservation Act. "I have a great record of accomplishment in [Congress]," Klink said. "I more directly reflect the views of the people of Pennsylvania than the incumbent does on a myriad of issues." But Klink's opponent has vehemently questioned that record. "He's missed 135 votes this Congress and he's missing them at rapid pace here the last few weeks," Santorum said in an interview last month. "I missed one." Klink feels, however, that he has not missed that much work. "I take my job very seriously and I take my job of defeating Sen. Santorum very seriously," he said. Klink, in an effort to bring more voters into the fold, is reaching out to college students. "There are a lot of issues that should inspire students," he said. "You've got a senator here who has voted against student loans," Klink said of Santorum. "You've got somebody running who voted to raise the retirement age to 70."