Campaign Pledge Drive: Week Nine

By Melissa August, Val Castronovo, Rachel Dry, Daren Fonda, Michael Jackson, Ben Nugent, Michele Orecklin, Julie Rawe, John Rosenblatt, Josh Tyrangiel, Alexandra Wolfe

CURIOUS, GEORGE So utterly content was Mr. Bush with his choice of Veep this week that he did not see fit to make even one pledge. Sniff. We anticipate he'll make up for that at this week's convention and hope so too, because otherwise Mr. Gore would have to have a near-fatal bout of laryngitis to lose the pledge race from here.

BUSH 25 --No pledges this week

GORE 58 --To increase the minimum wage $1 --To connect every classroom to the Net --To extend universal preschool to all four-year-olds --To increase funding of programs for the disabled (five pledges) --To give all kids mental-health coverage

The fine print: totals reflect pledges and proposals made beginning the week of May 29, 2000, when we first began tracking. This survey is not scientific.