First lady attends low-profile fund-raiser

Angie Wagner

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2000 | 8:56 a.m.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for the U.S. Senate made a low-profile stop in Las Vegas on Wednesday, hoping to cash in on some high-dollar donations at a private fund-raiser.

Invited guests were asked to contribute $1,000 each to attend a private cocktail reception at the Henderson home of a Las Vegas newspaper executive.

The New York Democratic U.S. Senate candidate expected to raise at least $75,000 to help her race against Republican Rep. Rick Lazio.

A motorcade of four vehicles arrived in the upscale neighborhood of large brick homes in the southeast Las Vegas Valley but the first lady's entourage didn't pause before passing through the gates to the walled estate of Danny Greenspun, vice president of the Las Vegas Sun.

Secret Service agents checked invitations and kept media representatives a good distance away.

No onlookers gathered in the private community.

Former Gov. Bob Miller, Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Top Rank boxing promoter Bob Arum were among those who attended the fund-raiser that also will benefit the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the New York State Democratic Committee.

Clinton is locked in a close race with Lazio in a battle that has been the most closely scrutinized Senate race in the nation.

The two candidates agreed Sunday to ban soft-money campaign advertisements, which are financed by special interest groups and by political parties.

While hard money contributions, limited to $2,000 per donor, can be used for ads that advocate voting for or against a candidate, soft money can only be used to advocate an issue, boost a candidate or attack a candidate, rather than stating, "Vote for so-and-so."

The local fund-raiser, co-hosted by Brian Greenspun, editor of the Las Vegas Sun and President Clinton's former college roommate, involves hard money that Mrs. Clinton will be able to spend on her campaign. Other co-hosts were Democratic Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera and Harrah's hotel-casino executive Claudine Williams.

The Las Vegas visit followed one earlier in the day in Oklahoma City. There more than 100 people paid $1,000 each to shake hands and have their pictures taken with Mrs. Clinton at the home of Mike Turpen, a former state Democratic chairman who became acquainted with President Clinton when Turpen was Oklahoma's attorney general.

"She was very appreciative," Turpen said. "Mrs. Clinton's campaign told me they raised more 'hard' money here than in any state they had been in."

Mrs. Clinton, before leaving the northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood, stopped to shake hands with about two dozen neighbors, mostly children, who gathered across the street from the Turpen home.

"Thank you so much," she said as someone yelled, "Go Hillary."

Spotting a Gore-Lieberman yard sign, she said, "And thanks for supporting the vice president, he'll do a great job."

Down the street, a half dozen signs in support of Lazio had been placed in yards facing the Turpen home.

Mrs. Clinton is expected to hold a series of fund-raisers in Southern California on Thursday and Friday.