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After New York Republican Senate candidate Rep. Rick Lazio (R) criticized President Clinton last week for a handshake with Cuban President Fidel Castro, the White House struck back over the weekend.

Jumping in the middle of the tight race between Lazio and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (D), the White House released a 1998 photo of Lazio firmly shaking hands with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Lazio dismissed the photo as an attempt to disrupt his campaign, while the first lady – hammered by Lazio over her 1999 hug with Arafat's wife Suha – said it showed her opponent "says one thing and does another."
• White House Enters Senate Race With Photo (The New York Times, 09/11/00)
• Lazio Hit on Handshake (New York Daily News, 09/11/00)
• Lazio Finds Himself in Photo Flap (Albany Times Union, 09/11/00)
• Pols All Shook Up (New York Post, 09/11/00)
• Rick Labeled 'Hypocrite' for Arafat Greeting (New York Post, 09/10/00)

A pair of polls released over the weekend differ on which candidate has the edge, but both surveys show the race is a statistical dead heat. However, Clinton appears to be surging among Jewish voters, a key New York constituency considered critical in determining the outcome of the race.
• Hillary in Poll Vault With Jewish Voters (New York Post, 09/10/00)
• In Senate Race, Advantage Clinton (Albany Times Union, 09/10/00)
• More Coverage: N.Y. Senate Race

Pa. Senate: Santorum Strikes First Over the Air

Incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) got a jumpstart on Democratic challenger Ron Klink last week, releasing the first television ad of the Pennsylvania Senate race Friday in the Philadelphia-area market. Santorum holds an enormous cash advantage over Klink.
• Santorum Is the First With a TV Ad (Philadelphia Inquirer, 09/09/00)
• More Coverage: Pa. Senate Race

Ill. District 10:

Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Lauren Beth Gash squared off Sunday in their first formal debate, but the race to replace retiring Rep. John Porter (R) is hardly one of stark contrasts – both candidates are sounding very similar issue positions.
• Hopefuls Strike Similar Notes in Debate (Chicago Sun-Times, 09/11/00)
• More Coverage: Ill. 10th District Race

N.C. District 11: A Taxing Issue for Taylor

Attempting to explain and defuse a nagging campaign issue, Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.) is taking to the voters – via a new television ad – about his discontent with being forced to pay $20,000 in back taxes. "I don't believe in paying property taxes I don't owe," the congressman says in his ad. Taylor has a history of county tax disputes.
• Taylor Protests Taxes (Raleigh News & Observer, 09/11/00)
• N.C. Congressman Faces Financial Scrutiny (Congressional Quarterly, 09/05/00)
• More Coverage: N.C. 11th District Race

"You have to go where the meat is. That's where the viewers are. That's why I'm going on the 'Oprah Winfrey Show.'"
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 27, 2000