Race for the White House Heating Up

AUGUSTA, ME.--On the eve of the fifth major straw poll of the 1984 Presidential election, three contenders for the Democratic nomination yesterday canvassed Maine state delegates for last minute votes.

As campaign workers frantically sought to shore up support for today's presidential preference poll, candidates Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), Sen. John Glenn (D-Oh.), and Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) mingled with delegates and smiled for the cameras, lauding a state that is trying to affect the national political scene.

Former Vice-President Walter Mondale and defeated 1972 Democratic nominee George McGovern are also scheduled to speak to the 1500 to 2000 expected delegates today at the Augusta Civic Center. The candidates' scheduled 15-minute spiels are set to begin promptly at 10:21 a.m., followed by the non-binding afternoon straw vote.

The presidential poll is the first for the state's Democratic party, which has traditionally used this annual gathering to deal with state issues. However, today's vote could be a defeat for Hollings and a momentum-builder for Mondale and Cranston.

But while five candidates hope days of handshaking and thousands of dollars pay off at the ballot box. Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.) has steered clear of this derby. Instead, he and a legion of college students including about 25 from Harvard, will today canvass New Hampshire, the scene of the first official primary next February.

"They're making this poll a test of resources, rather than ideas," explained Hart worker Jim Handerson.

Other candidates downplayed the importance of winning this early.

"My only goal here is to show I am competitive," Cranston said in an interview here yesterday. "Our object is to finish close to the frontrunners [Mondale and Glenn]. And it is interesting to note that the frontrunner in the polls hasn't won since 1956."

"I am glad I am not the frontrunner yet," the Californian added.

Hollings, who spent about an hour in front of the arena greeting delegates, predicted only that he would make a "good impact" here today, adding, even if he finishes at the bottom of the pack, he can make a comeback.

And Glenn, who arrived after the keynote address of Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and will leave before the results are announced today, said he is focusing on gaining support for next spring's Maine primary.

"I am not stressing this as much as the other contenders, as far as not spending a lot of money," Glenn added.

Though Biden did not mention any of the candidates by name, the 40-year-old senator called for an end to pandering to special interest groups and a return to an emphasis on civil rights and employment, issues he said characterized the party during the '60s.

"We've let our opponents set the agenda," Biden said. "We are perceived as the party of the status quo."

Another Democratic contender, former Governor Reuben Askew of Florida, will not appear in Augusta, although his name will be on the straw poll ballot