Gary Bauer for President

February 2, 1999

If elected, he would not be America's shortest president. Gary Bauer has two inches on James Madison, who at 5 feet, 4 inches was our shortest chief executive. And Gary Bauer probably won't come up short in the fund-raising category either.

In the last two years, his political action committee raised $7 million. That is more than Dan Quayle or Lamar Alexander raised. His Family Research Council raises $15 million each year and has been his political base to address key moral and political issues in society.

Gary Bauer has left the Family Research Council to run for the presidency, and he could easily become the lead candidate for the social issues wing of the Republican party. Senator John Ashcroft has decided not to run, and Pat Buchanan will probably not run. This appears to leave the field open to Gary Bauer. He's going to give it a try.

Being a significant force in the Republican party is not as far-fetched as it might seem. Iowa's caucus system favors the highly motivated and politically conservative. Only about 100,000 of the 570,000 registered Republicans voted in caucuses last time. And don't forget that Pat Robertson placed second in the caucuses in 1988.

Gary Bauer plans on raising $20 million mostly from contributions of $250. If that happens before this time next year, the federal government will add an additional $15 million. That financial war chest will make Gary Bauer a contender. Even if he doesn't win the nomination, he will have lots of money to "hold other candidates' feet to the fire" about moral issues.

Will Gary Bauer win the nomination? I doubt it. Will he make an impact and influence the other candidates? You can bet on it.

I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.

© 1998 Probe Ministries International