FORMER STATE AUDITOR CANDIDATE'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER RECALLS MATTER HARD TO OVERCOME

JACKSON -- As the campaign manager for John Ashcroft's unsuccessful bid in 1974 to win a full term as state auditor, Jackson lawyer John Lichtenegger recalled two major issues that were hard to overcome.

One was that George Lehr was a CPA and Ashcroft was a lawyer, and advertisements suggested a CPA should be auditor and a lawyer attorney general.

"That made a lot of sense to a lot of people," said Lichtenegger. "I would credit George Lehr for keeping the idea alive that the state auditor ought to be a CPA."

The second issue was one used four years earlier by Republican Christopher Bond when he successfully ousted longtime Democrat Haskell Holman by contending the auditor should be of a different political party than the governor.

When Bond ran for auditor, Democrat Warren Hearnes was governor. But four years later Bond had been elected governor and appointed Ashcroft to serve out his term. Lehr basically ran the same ads.

Lichtenegger said his strategy was to focus on Ashcroft's background and performance in office rather than combat Lehr's main issues.

"We just went with the strong points of our candidate: integrity, a strong background in business and business law," said Lichtenegger. "Ashcroft had served nearly two years as state auditor and uncovered millions of dollars of waste. He had done a phenomenal job without being a CPA."

Lichtenegger recalled that Ashcroft and Lehr debated frequently and both ran positive campaigns. Lehr, who at the time was Jackson County executive, was highly regarded as a competent and effective public official.

"I think Lehr was the best candidate Democrats have run statewide since," said Lichtenegger. "It was a race matching two of the best candidates for one position; I admired George Lehr and I think John Ashcroft did, too."

Lichtenegger believes what ultimately gave Lehr a narrow victory was the Watergate scandal, which made it a difficult year for Republicans everywhere.

Ashcroft used the groundwork laid in his 1974 campaign to win the attorney general's office in 1976, where he served two terms, followed by two terms as governor. This year he is running for the U.S. Senate.

Lehr resigned in 1977 because of health and family considerations. He died in 1988 at the age of 51.

Lichtenegger said he is not convinced a CPA as state auditor is necessary, but a strong background in personnel management and administration is. By being a CPA, he said it gives the auditor a clear understanding of the scope of work done by the office.

"You don't have to be a CPA to do the job, but it certainly is a strong selling point with the voters," Lichtenegger said.