Crowned by the Republican establishment last year, bruised by the unexpected strength of Sen. John S. McCai' candidacy, Texas Gov. George W. Bush hopes to finally lock up the Republican nomination today.

Bush had hoped to have the contest wrapped up back in New Hampshire, but a flood of independent and Democratic primary voters have

tightened the Republican race. Bush has struggled to attract voters outside of the main Republican base.

Beyond Bush's claim of a "compassionate conservatism," he mixes old-party line Republican policy with new conservative ideology. The issues Bush has trumpeted on the campaign trail include his tax cut proposals and educational reforms.

Bush is pushing for tax cuts of $483 billion over five years, which will cut the top tax rate to 33 percent along with lower income tax brackets. There will be $8 billion worth of tax incentives for charitable conversations.

Bush's education incentive program focuses on supporting charter schools and school voucher programs. Bush supports starting a $3 billion charter school fund along with tying voucher programs to a nationwide "accountability" system.

Bush's crime platform is based on a "tough love" philosophy. He supports the death penalty and wants to strengthen juvenile crime sentences and sentences for gun offenses. Bush also supports limited forms of gun control, such as gun show background checks and banning guns in school areas. But he is a proponent of the right to carry concealed weapons.

Politically, Bush has yet to fully recover from his visit to Bob Jones University, whose founders are have criticized Catholicism. He wrote an apologetic letter last week to New York Cardinal John O'Connor, but he has struggled to reconcile his actions with his rhetoric that he is a "uniter, not a divider."