, D'amato's chances of reelection were optimistic. However, his opponent matched him in intensity, nearly in money, and fought back with just as many negative ads and accusations (Sullivan, 1998).Schumer, playing the safer side of the fence in the nature of his education platform, supported teachers (his own mother was a teacher), even promising to forgive teacher's student loans after five years of teaching in order to attract great teachers. He called for more spending for schools to hire more teachers, rebuild deteriorated building and start pre-kindergarten programs (Saunders, 1998). He appealed to many parents, mothers especially, when he referred to the overcrowded classroom conditions of his own child's kindergarten class and said building new schools must be on the top of national agenda. All of his proposals included increased spending, which paralleled the Democratic Party's views on education (Nagourney 2, 1998). Schumer also backed President Clinton's plan for stepped-up standards in math and english for students. Consequently, Clinton and the first lady helped campaign for him and even made some appearances in support of him. Hillary Clinton praised Schumer for proposing to make college tuition tax deductible for families with incomes up to $150,000. Along with this she assailed D'amato for voting to cut various scholarship programs, like Pell Grants, contrasting this to Schumer's support of these programs. Mrs. Clinton also explicitly urged women to support Schumer, especially because D'amato had consistently voted in favor of so many issues that women care about (Nagourney 1, 1998). Schumer targeted women's votes in his campaign, hoping it would give him the edge over D'amato in such a close race. He took a much more supportive view of education and New York's existing system than did D'amato, with his fierce attack on teachers. Had the campaign truly been about issues and a genuine desire for education ref...
