Inside Politics

Targeting Dean

Gun-control advocates yesterday taunted presidential candidate Howard Dean, calling him an extremist and not their kind of Democrat.

“Former Vermont Governor Dean says he’s from the ‘Democrat wing of the Democratic party.’ As far as gun-safety advocates are concerned, give us a Democrat from some other wing of the Democratic Party, please,” the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said in a press release.

Mr. Dean believes that gun laws should not be a federal issue; individual states should determine what, if any, restrictions to impose.

“Perhaps Dean will have success in convincing criminals to promise not to carry their guns across state lines, and convincing gun traffickers not to buy or sell them across state lines. Governor, guns cross state borders. Maybe it’s you who should stay at the state level,” the Brady group said.

Said Mary Leigh Blek, president emeritus of the Million Mom March: “Hey, Howard: We don’t need a pro-NRA president. We’ve already got one. Americans who care about getting guns off our streets need to know there is virtually no difference between Governor Dean and President Bush.”

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, united with the Million Mom March, said: “An e-mail alert will go out to all Brady members nationwide today, educating them about Dean’s wrongheaded view of gun-safety policy, and advocates of reasonable gun-safety laws will be encouraged to attend Governor Dean’s campaign appearances and tell supporters about his extreme views on gun issues.”

Trailing at home

Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, trails President Bush by double digits in Mr. Graham’s home state, according to a poll published yesterday.

In a hypothetical matchup between Mr. Bush and Mr. Graham, the poll of 600 Floridians who regularly vote in statewide elections put the president ahead 53 percent to 40 percent, with 7 percent undecided, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

The survey was conducted for the newspaper by Research 2000, an independent polling firm based in Rockville, Md.

Mr. Bush led Mr. Graham among voters in all regions of the state except South Florida, the Democratic stronghold in Florida, where the senator led 53 percent to 36 percent.

The president was backed by a majority of those sampled in all adult age groups, except for those 60 and older, who favored Mr. Graham 49 percent to 45 percent.

Some of the president’s strongest support came from Hispanics, who backed him over Mr. Graham by 68 percent to 29 percent.

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