"ATTACKS FLY, BUT NONE HITS PRATT
"MAYORAL FRAY THICKEST AROUND BARRETT, CLARKE
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel - By Greg Borowski [4/13/2004]

"There may be 10 candidates in Milwaukee's mayoral shooting gallery, but to voters watching the latest round of campaign ads on television, only a few are wearing targets.

Analysts say the cross-fire -- and who is involved in it -- is a reflection of political calculation, front-runner status, financial depth and what groups of voters remain undecided.

But with only four days until Tuesday's primary election, the contenders may not be able to adapt strategies that may seem riskier now than when put in place months ago.

So far, Tom Barrett has drawn the most shots from rivals, chiefly from David A. Clarke Jr., with Barrett responding directly to two ads with his own criticizing Clarke's record.

Clarke, whose TV ad targeting Barrett on crime is still running, is getting an outside assist from a Michigan education-reform group that is spending more than $70,000 to run a pro-Clarke spot.

Both sides say no coordination took place.

Candidate Vince Bobot, among others, slammed the ad, saying there may have been no direct coordination, but voters "know it's a wink and a nod."

Above the fray

Meanwhile, Marvin Pratt -- whose 17-year record of votes is nearly as long as Barrett's -- has drawn few attacks from any of the others. And with a boost from becoming acting mayor, he has held or shared the lead in two recent polls.

Some may see it as a miscalculation by Clarke and Barrett, considered by many since last fall as front-runners: Why try bringing each other down instead of just aiming to advance to the general election? Others, though, may see it as savvy. Both Clarke and Barrett may feel they have a better shot April 6 if the other is out now.

Indeed, a poll conducted for the Journal Sentinel and WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) showed Clarke and Barrett doing better among white voters than black voters.

In addition, more white voters are undecided than black voters -- and, if past form holds, many more whites will vote on Tuesday than blacks. Clarke did best among Republicans. But they may be even more outnumbered at the polls.

The result: Pratt, and the other seven contenders, have been largely attack-free. And Pratt, who trailed in polls last fall, has risen.

"Marvin Pratt is a tough guy to attack," said consultant Jeff Fleming of the Zizzo Group. "He is a genuinely nice guy and he has a strong base of support in the African-American community."

The dynamics will change, Fleming said, if Pratt moves on to the general election. "He's going to face difficult questions about ethics at City Hall; he's going to face difficult questions about his leadership," he said.

In the Journal Sentinel poll, Pratt and Barrett, a former member of the U.S. House, both came in with 23% support among likely voters. Clarke, the Milwaukee County sheriff, was next, with 17%.

None of the other seven candidates registered more than 3%. And undecideds topped them all, at 28%.

As of Feb. 3, the 10 candidates had $713,415 on hand. Of that, $626,772 -- 88% -- was in the hands of Barrett, Pratt and Clarke.

Front-runner hit

Clarke is not the only one to target Barrett. Bobot did so in a radio ad, likening Barrett to former Mayor John O. Norquist. Sandy Folaron ran TV ads criticizing Barrett on taxes. One of hers also took on, briefly, Clarke.

Clarke, though, was the most aggressive. His ads have all opened with a screen that reads: "Clarke vs. Barrett."

After the first two ads ran, on education and taxes, Barrett responded with one criticizing Clarke on the same issues. Barrett also sent voters literature with a similar anti-Clarke message.

"The strategy was to outline the contrasts between the opponent we had the most differences with," said Clarke campaign manager Jeremy Cole. "It had nothing to do with taking anyone for granted or forgetting there are other formidable candidates in the race."

Still, there was never much chance a TV ad would open with: "Clarke vs. Bobot."

"Pratt benefits simply from being quiet," said William Elliott, dean of Marquette University's College of Communication, an expert on campaign ads. "If Clarke attacked Pratt, it would have endeared him even less with the African-American community."

Clarke, who is African-American, has tangled with black leaders on several issues, including so-called "consent searches" during routine traffic stops. Meanwhile, Barrett, who is white, represented the city's north side in Congress for a decade.

With Clarke long seen as a potential opponent in the general election, Barrett would need to maintain strength on his political turf.

Barrett has run four TV ads: An upbeat one about his plan for the city; the two that cited the Clarke ads; and now another upbeat one.

"At the end of the day, voters get tired of negative campaigning and tired of attacks and distortions of other people's records, and they see through it," said Barrett campaign manager Joel Brennan.

He was among several campaigns that criticized the pro-Clarke ads that began running in earnest Thursday.

Although the group that paid for the ads advocates school choice, that issue plays a low-key role in the ad, which notes Clarke favors "strong neighborhood schools and school choice for parents." A photo of a smiling Clarke is shown at the end.

The picture appears to be one that appears on Clarke's campaign Web site. In small print, the ad notes who paid for it.

Cole said that he had never heard of the group, but welcomed the ad.

"We accept the dynamics of the electoral process," he said. "Some might say it's unfair to sit in the mayor's office -- it's free publicity. But it's part of the dynamics of the election."

Greg Brock, of the All Children Matter group, said it wants to preserve Milwaukee's private school choice program and to assure that a strong advocate be elected.

"It's very positive, upbeat," he said. "We didn't try to bash any of the other candidates."

Analysts say Clarke benefits from a positive message playing while he trashes Barrett as a "career politician" who is soft on crime in one of his own ads. Indeed, at some points the two ads run back to back.

Several candidates criticized the Michigan group's spending Thursday, including Tom Nardelli and Arthur Jones.

Meanwhile, Folaron campaign manager Molly Christofferson had a different take.

"I would prefer it was a lot stronger," she said. "The Barrett record does need to be exposed and brought up."


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