Bush Seeks to Woo Middle Class

With new polls showing a precipitous loss of support across the upper Midwest, Republican candidate George W. Bush will head to that crucial electoral turf this week to tout policies that he insists will benefit middle-class and female voters who have defected to Democratic rival Al Gore.

Bush campaign aides on Sunday unveiled a 15-page booklet called “Blueprint for the Middle Class,” which they said will be handed out at events in 12 cities over the next six days. The campaign describes the upcoming week as a “metaphor for life,” with issues ranging from tax credits for children to education to health care for senior citizens.

Polls released this weekend showed that Bush’s early power in the area has been eclipsed by Gore. In Missouri, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Bush once led, Gore now has the advantage. The two are essentially tied in Ohio, where Bush once had a sizable lead.

Spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush’s message, and a pair of new ads on health care, will sharpen the distinctions between Bush and Gore.

“What you’re seeing is a very focused, more aggressive effort to let voters know where Gov. Bush stands on the major issues of the day,” Fleischer said.

Gore, meanwhile, will campaign in California this week, along with running mate Joseph I. Lieberman. The two are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles tonight for a party fund-raiser, and will move on to Fresno on Tuesday. GOP vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney will campaign in Sacramento on Tuesday.

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Times political writer Cathleen Decker contributed to this story.