ARE CITIES ON CANDIDATES' MINDS?:
WHERE THEY ARE ON URBAN ISSUES

Almost a year before the first primary ballots are cast in January 2008, the campaign for president got rolling in earnest this spring. There was news of Rudy Giuliani's wife's undisclosed first marriage, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama nipping at New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's heels in the fundraising race, and John Edwards' $400 haircut. All but ignored amid the sound and fury over Edwards' locks and Obama's bucks was a report from the Center for American Progress that outlined "a national strategy to cut poverty in half."

Though it garnered few headlines, the poverty report by the Washington-based think tank forms part of a burgeoning effort to put lower-income people and urban areas closer to the campaign spotlight. Back in January, the U.S. Conference of Mayors sent all the presidential contenders its 10-point "Strong Cities, Strong Families, for a Strong America" plan, which sketched out an urban agenda covering crime, housing and healthcare. And in New York City, the Community Service Society joined Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ to host a series of forums with presidential candidates called Working Cities. Clinton and Edwards have already appeared, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is expected in June, and Obama could visit later in the summer.

"We want to make sure that we get the candidates on record on the issue of poverty, especially as it regards the working poor and the urban poor. Those of us who are relating to working poor and the labor movement are going to have to demand the candidates to take a position early on," said Community Service Society President and CEO David Jones, who expects additional candidates, including some Republicans, to accept the invitation as well.

Urban issues have gotten short shrift in recent national races. In the four nationally televised debates in 2004, the candidates talked about cities only four times – and three of them were references to potential terrorist attacks. In the 2000 race, before Sept. 11 pushed domestic issues to the back burner, cities got even less attention. That reflected a long-term trend. "Urban issues were front and center in the national debate between the 1920s and the 1960s, and even the '70s. But things that happened politically, economically and demographically changed the political equation," says Peter Dreier, a political science professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles. "America is now a suburban country." Indeed, America's 100 largest cities contain only one-fifth of the nation's population.

But in 2008, with at least two former mayors – Giuliani and former Cleveland mayor Rep. Dennis Kucinich – in the race (and perhaps a third if Mayor Bloomberg throws in his hat), will cities get their due? Analysts are skeptical. Political scientist and University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato says 2008 is shaping up as "yet another gigantic referendum on Bush and Iraq." Bruce Berg, a Fordham University political science professor, says urban issues will only get airtime as they relate to larger themes like immigration, education, health care and homeland security.

In the three debates held so far this year, the 10 Republicans and eight Democrats currently in the race talked mostly about Iraq and al Qaeda. Domestic issues like abortion, immigration, and taxes took a back seat. During the South Carolina GOP debate on May 15, however, Giuliani pointed proudly to the fact that, "I, according to George Will, ran the most conservative government in the last 50 years in New York City." At the same event, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney brought up "the inner cities of America" in a comment about education. Earlier this year, Romney talked about inner cities when discussing "faith-based" initiatives.