Dean accused of out-of-state plot
JEFFERSON, Iowa -- Presidential candidate Richard A. Gephardt's campaign accused Democratic rival Howard Dean yesterday of planning to unleash hundreds or thousands of out-of-state campaign workers to vote in the Iowa caucuses, in violation of state law.
The Dean camp angrily denied the allegation, saying it was part of a calculated effort to cast doubt on Dean's Iowa results in case he beats Gephardt in the Hawkeye State. Gephardt's campaign manager, Steve Murphy, sent a letter to his counterpart in the Dean camp demanding that he stop any plans to have supporters from outside Iowa participate in the Jan. 19 caucuses. Such a move could ruin the Iowa caucus process this year and in the future, Murphy said.
"You must identify those in your campaign involved with this illegal endeavor and fire the individual or individuals," Murphy wrote to Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager.
Trippi, who worked for Murphy in Gephardt's 1988 presidential campaign, fired back a letter that called Murphy's assertion a "sleazy tactic" with no grounding in truth. "Your allegation is ridiculous," Trippi wrote. "People are tired of this type of campaigning, which is why we've been energizing voters across the country with our message of hope and of a better democracy."
Murphy said his campaign learned of Dean's plans through a conversation a Dean field organizer had with a member of Gephardt's staff. According to Murphy, the Dean organizer said that people who will have been in Iowa for as little as one day would attend caucuses and vote for Dean. But in a conference call with reporters yesterday afternoon, Murphy declined to name either staff member, saying he wanted to protect the identity of the "whistle-blower."
Dean's heavy reliance on out-of-state campaign volunteers has raised eyebrows in Iowa, and the campaign is predicting some 2,000 such volunteers will swarm the state in the final four days of the race. Their activities will include voter canvassing, providing rides to caucus locations, and helping run phone banks, according to the Dean campaign. Caucuses are open meetings and can be attended by anyone, but only Iowa voters registered as Democrats can participate. There is no length-of-residency requirement, however, and voters do not have to show identification at caucus sites, largely leaving attendees to police themselves.
Mark Daley, a state party spokesman, said any nonresident who participates in a caucus is committing a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $7,500 fine. If anyone's residency is questioned on caucus night, a team of legal specialists will be assembled at party headquarters in Des Moines to make judgments.
Gephardt said yesterday that it would be difficult for a large number of out-of-state residents to vote in the caucuses, particularly in rural areas.
"A young person from California who came in here and tried to vote, I don't know if they would get by with it," Gephardt said.
Glen Johnson of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
