Campaign Pledge Drive: Week Seven

By Melissa August, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Daren Fonda, Ellin Martens, Benjamin Nugent, Julie Rawe, Flora Tartakovsky and Josh Tyrangiel

BUMPER CROP Something about the N.A.A.C.P., visited by both candidates last week, brings out the promises in folks. George W. shook off his birthday-week slump and beat his own record for pledges. Gore continued the previous week's spree.

BUSH 21

--To enforce civil rights laws --To help the poor get health insurance --To improve foster-care system (five pledges: $1.3 billion) --To fight the "bigotry of low expectations" --To connect veterans with youth through mentoring --To advance racial harmony

GORE 40

--To clean up polluted brownfields --To promote accountability in schools --To give every child access to full health care within four years --To make streets safe, fight drugs and get guns out of schools and neighborhoods --To create empowerment zones --To confront and work toward solving the African AIDS problem --To fight for alternative action, end racial profiling and pass hate-crimes legislation (three pledges)

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.