BUSH WINS IOWA STRAW POLL, BUT FORBES A STRONG SECOND.

Byline: Steven Thomma Knight Ridder Newspapers

Texas Gov. George W. Bush won a straw poll of Iowans Saturday, a largely symbolic showing that will allow him to boost his bragging rights as the front-runner for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination.

But Bush was followed closely by magazine publisher Steve Forbes, who said his strong second place finish catapulted him ahead of the rest of the pack as the one challenger to Bush.

And former Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Dole came in third after being heavily outspent by both Bush and Forbes. She drew support from women who had never before participated in politics, drawn to the first viable presidential campaign by a woman.

She needed that emotional appeal to draw even close to the big-dollar campaigns of Bush and Forbes, who each went on a spending spree to lock up votes in the non-binding event, eager to prove their political muscle and popularity to Iowans and an audience of national news media.

In an event that does much to create the perception of winners and losers, the more significant impact of the straw poll might be felt by candidates who fared poorly.

Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, a GOP presidential contender in 1996, came in sixth. Former Vice President Dan Quayle came in a distant eighth. Both have been lagging far behind in public opinion polls and unable to raise enough money to wage national campaigns. They hoped to finish close behind the free-spending Bush and Forbes campaigns and jumpstart their lagging efforts

Bush finished with 7,418 votes, or 31.3 percent. Forbes had 4,921 votes, or 20.8 percent. Dole had 3,410 votes, or 14.4 percent. Conservative activist Gary Bauer had 2,114 votes or 8.9 percent. Former TV commentator Pat Buchanan had 1,719 votes, or 7.3 percent. Alexander had 1,428 votes, or 6 percent.

Radio talk show host Alan Keyes had 1,101 votes, or 4.6 percent. Quayle had 916 votes, or 3.9 percent. And Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah had 558 votes, or 2.4 percent.

The turnout - a total of 23,685 votes were cast - more than doubled the participation in the straw poll event of four years ago. Then, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas and Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas battled to a tie for first place, each drawing 2,582 votes.

``Gov. Bush is delighted with the performance of our grass-roots organization,'' said Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes. ``He has turned out a huge number of grass-roots supporters here in Iowa.''

Forbes adviser Greg Mueller also claimed a victory, saying Forbes' strong showing would catapult him ahead of the rest of the GOP field as the main challenger to Bush.

``Our goal was to make this a Bush-Forbes race. We think we accomplished that,'' Mueller said.

``They do have a more legitimate claim to a two-person race,'' said Rich Galen, a GOP strategist. But he noted that one major candidate did not compete here, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. McCain is planning to challenge Bush and Forbes largely in New Hampshire and South Carolina, whose primaries will come soon after Iowa's precinct caucuses next winter.

Part circus

The event itself was part circus and part political convention.

``It's votin' time in Iowa,'' Bush told about 500 cheering supporters crowded under one of his several tents. ``There's a lot of people watching. There are a lot of people paying attention to what's happening in Ames, Iowa.''

Among the most important observers were hordes of reporters who descended on Ames, eager for the first sign of whether Bush's huge lead in the polls and in the fund-raising race was as substantial as it appeared. It was the pundits and pollsters, in fact, that transformed this otherwise small and unrepresentative fund-raising event into a political moment of national significance.

Indeed, participants hardly represent the rest of the state's 650,000 Republicans. They don't have to be Republicans or even registered voters. To participate, they merely need to be Iowa residents, 18 years old by the next election and hold a $25 entry ticket. And the campaigns buy those for them.

Eager to make a good showing, the candidates lured supporters to Ames on a cool, sun-splashed afternoon with a circus-like setup on the grounds of Iowa State University. As hot air balloons hovered overhead, bands and singers entertained while attendees lined up under any one of about a dozen big top tents to munch on free barbecue sandwiches or other treats.

Forbes, a millionaire who is dipping into his own fortune to finance his race, spent an estimated $2 million in a gold-plated campaign to win the vote. After weeks of TV and radio ads pitching his outside message of conservative economics and moral values, he opened his big top with singers Debby Boone, Ronnie Milsap and Beverly Ellis and a barbecue from what he called the Forbes family recipe.

``We're having a ball,'' said a grinning Maxine Williams of Des Moines, standing under conservative activist Bauer's white tent.

Under one roof

Inside the university's Hilton Coliseum, the candidates lined up to sum up their appeal in 13-minute speeches, the first time in the campaign that so many candidates appeared under one roof.

Alexander and Buchanan took veiled shots at Bush, complaining that a candidate should not be anointed the nominee just because he holds commanding leads in fund raising and polls like Bush.

Forbes was more pointed, saying he would not ``need pollsters and tutors to tell me what to think.'' Bush has conceded that he is not yet fully conversant with national issues and has been summoning experts in foreign policy and economics to Texas to meet with him.

The most common theme among the GOP candidates was a vow to lead the nation to a more moral footing in the aftermath of a scandal-plagued White House. Others included calls for tax cuts, school choice and a stronger military.

Quayle accused the Clinton administration of ``trashing our values, trashing our ideals, and trashing our White House.'' He promised a 30 percent tax cut to help families, opposition to abortion, and a strong national defense.

Hatch said that Vice President Al Gore will have to campaign for the top job ``carrying a 235-pound president on his back.'' Hatch warned that the next president likely will get to appoint three Supreme Court justices and a full 50 percent of the nation's federal judges. If elected, he said, he would select judges ``who will protect the constitutional principles we hold dear.''

Bauer vowed to apply two litmus tests for Supreme Court justices: that they not be bigots and that they oppose abortion. He also promised to increase military spending, complaining that money for defense has been cut so much that 17,000 men and women in the army receive federal Food Stamps. And he said he would rescind normal trade relations with China.

Bush gave an abbreviated version of his stump, calling for tax cuts, a stronger military, school choice and an emphasis on charities and churches to help people.

The Iowa party cast Saturday's event as a test of campaign strength and statewide organization.

``It's an excellent midterm exam for the campaigns,'' said Iowa Republican Party chairman Kayne Robinson. ``It tells people how they're doing in Iowa.''

Bush invited Iowans to shake hands with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, listen to singers Tracy Byrd, Linda Davis and Emilio Navaira, have a free lunch, and then vote.

``I like Bush; he's moderate and he can win,'' said Linda Larson of Norwalk, Iowa, one of several thousand who stood under Bush's tents. Other candidates jockeyed to emerge as legitimate challengers to Bush, who so far enjoys a 4-1 lead over his nearest rivals.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) At left, Texas Gov. George W. Bush waves to a crowd after winning the Iowa Straw Poll on Saturday.

Eric Draper/Associated Press

(2) Above, presidential hopeful Steve Forbes gives a thumbs-up to supporters after finishing second in the poll.

Rodney White/Associated Press