HEATHER SINCICH
East Coast elections involve several tight races for Senate and Congress.
One of the most important races is for New York senator. Candidates Alfonse D’Amato(R), and Charles Schumer(D), have been volleying for the majority. Two weeks ago D’Amato was up by five votes and last week Schumer was leading by five votes.
Both candidates call each other an extremist, but both vote similarly on issues and are fairly moderate in their views.
Both have voted for a ban of discrimination for homosexual rights and have voted similarly on the death penalty.
D’Amato has spent 24 million dollars in his campaign and Schumer has spent 13 million, which makes it the most expensive senate race in history.
Schumer has missed 100 house votes, a fact that D’Amato has been using in his campaign ads. D’Amato has railed on Schumer for not voting.
New Yorkers like D’Amato, the three-time incumbent who has been in congress for 18 years.
The race for senate in Connecticut is between incumbent Chris Dodd(D) and Republican challenger Gary Franks.
Dodd was chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the Chinese Democratic National Committee scandal. Dodd says that he was aware of the scandal but was not involved in it.
Franks is a former congressman but is trailing Dodd.
Paul Celluci, Republican, and Scott Harshearber, Democrat, are running in an unusually tight race for Massachusetts senate.
In the Massachusetts 6th district where the two candidates are running, fewer than 20 percent of voters are Republican. It is rarely considered a competitive district because it is historically Democratic and most of the house delegates today are Democrats.
Celluci owes $700,000 in personal debts. Harshearber has used this against Celluci in his campaign, saying Celluci’s debt was incurred from personal gambling.
On the East Coast, important races for congress are prevalent as well.
In the Massachusetts 6th district,Republican Peter Torkilsen and Democratic opponent John Tierney are running for congress against each other for the third time. In ’94 Torkilsen won by 7,500 votes and in ’96 Tierney won by 371 votes.
A recent poll showed Tierney was at 53 percent and Torkilsen was at 34 percent, with seven percent undecided.
The race for congress in the Connecticut 5th district is between Marc Nielsen, Republican, and incumbent Jim Maloney, Democrat.
Maloney is one of 30 Democrats to align with Republicans in the House of Representatives during President Clinton’s impeachment inquiry vote.
Nielsen is hoping that his predecessor, Rolland, will help him win the majority.
Term Limits of America, a special interest group, has asked candidates in Wisconsin to sign a pledge for term limits. Term Limits of America said it will run a $2-300,000 ad campaign against any candidate that refuses to sign.
Term Limits of America could be doing the same in the Connecticut 5th district.
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont do not have much competition between candidates.
The race for Governor in New York is influential as well. Incumbent Pataki has a substantial lead over his competitor Peter Vallone. If Pataki wins with a substantial lead, it will boost his ambitions for presidential elections for the year 2000.
