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wednesday, November 5, 1986 / University Daily Kansan
Lawrence party members analyze results GOP mood swings with vote Voters react to conservatism
By ANNE LUSCOMBE
Staff writer
0 Mood swings were prevalent at the Republican headquarters in the Malls Shopping Center, 23rd and Louisiana streets, last night as GOP candidates gained and lost ground in the general elections.
"This is worse than waiting for your wife to have a baby," said Dick Lynch, Lawrence resident.
The night ended on a high note when The Associated Press declared Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Hayden the winner at 11:30 p.m.
"The tast ones are ours," Karl Sehoenrae, Lawrence resident, said of the votes yet to come in for the gubernatorial race. "The election was over when Johnson County went 50-50."
But as the evidence began pouring in that the Republicans had lost control of the U.S. Senate, a somber silence spread throughout the headquarters.
"I'm really not all that surprised," Schoenrade said. "We had 22 seats up for election. Traditionally, the party in the White House loses ground. It's a loss, but one we'll take back in two years."
Statewide, the Republicans fared much better than locally, a fact they painfully noticed.
"We thought we could do a lot better locally," Schoenrade said. "The majority party sets the agenda and we wanted to give Lawrence a voice. But now we won't really have that voice. I'm delighted David Miller (R-43rd District) won, but I was hoping we could give him some help."
Lynch said he was not surprised at the local results but was disappointed. He said University students probably caused the Democratic
Earlier in the day, the Republicans made a last minute drive for votes
sweep because students tended to be more liberal than the rest of the population.
Republican poll watchers sat within legal distances from the polls. As the poll workers called out the voters' names, the watchers wrote the names of Republicans down. Then they found through cross-referencing the names of registered Republicans who had not voted.
The poll watchers then called those Republicans and volunteered to drive them to polling places in their precincts.
Ken Martinez, Douglas County central committee chairman, said he thought the effort was effective.
"Anytime you can get one voter to the polls, regardless of whether it's a Democrat or Republican, then it's worthwhile," he said.
The Democrats gained control of the U.S. Senate last night and local Democratic leaders said they thought voters were reacting to the stanch conservatism of the Reagan administration.
By JANE ZACHMAN
Staff writer
"I think the American people, as a whole, are giving the President a message that the country is not going to accept his ideas for the next two years," Douglas County Democratic Party chairman Dean Lebestky said last night. "They want to be a little less conservative."
"The president needs to back off of his ideas on defense and foreign and domestic policy. With Star Wars, I'm not personally convinced that it's a viable, technical possibility."
Lebestky, who was watching the election results at the Douglas County Courthouse, 11th and
Massachusetts streets, said that while Reagan had tried to bring the deficit down, he had cut social programs and services to the people. The government's focus should be more on people, he said.
Debra Burns, campaign manager for Betty Jo Charlton, who was reelected to the 46th District seat of the Kansas House of Representatives, said Congress now theoretically would be more opposed to some of Reagan's ideas.
"Reagan will have trouble getting aid for the contras and gutting social programs and education loans for students," Burns said. "He won't be able to get them through Congress."
Rep. Jessie Branson, Democratic winner of the 44th District seat in the Kansas House, said she was not surprised by the Democrats' victory in the U.S. Senate.
"I think Reagan was not helpful to
those in the farmbelt and those people hurt the Republicans in the races," Branson said.
On the state level, Democratic candidates also had a strong showing. Although they won only two major races, many of the races were only a few percentage points apart until the final tabulations.
Democrats won the race for the 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and the race for state treasurer.
In the Lawrence area, three Kansas House positions were won by incumbent Democrats in a predominantly Republican state. They won the 44th, 45th and 46th Districts, and local Democratic party leaders attribute the victories to the quality of their candidates.
"Douglas County looks seriously at its elected leaders," Lebensky said.
TONGANOXIE  — Alenee Sheehan, Tonganoxie, second from left, gives Mary Kruse, Bonner Springs, left, last minute instructions before Kruse
Jan Morris/KANSAN
enters the voting booth. Nadine Hotton, right, and Frances Oelschlaeger far right, checked voters' registrations yesterday
The Old Highway 40 voting tradition
Staff writer
By NICOLE SAUZEK
"I just can't see squandering all that money when people are starving in this country," Holton, Tonganoxie resident, argued in reference to the political campaigns.
TONGANOXIE — Nadine Holton looked up from her cherry cheesecake and shook her silvery head. The eyes behind her glasses hinted at her disgust as she and her friends talked politics while they waited for voters to wander in.
The five other women in the basement of George and Zenobia Davis' house on Old Highway 40 were agreeing with her comments when the door opened, revealing the "state name and address" sign posted outside and a local voter.
"Hey, this is kind of like McDonalds," said Jim Gambril, Tonganovic resident. "I gave my name and address to the sign and I still didn't get nothin."
If the red, white and blue curtains weren't sheltering the voters' stalls along the wall and the workers weren't involved in casual political gossip, one would never know that an election was taking place.
The panel of women sitting behind the ballot table explaining procedures looked more like a neighborhood welcoming committee than voting officials.
Smiles and first names filled the room as voters from Stranger Township traveled to the rural home to vote in the state elections.
Voters have traveled to the Davis home for close to six years, said Zenobia Davis, because Stranger Township has no city and, therefore, no city building.
"I made everyone welcome to come here," Davis said. "Besides, we do have a lot of fun here. And most of all, we've got a bathroom."
young, as far back as the women could remember, used to be at Stub's Place, a local
tavern. But, "adverse conditions" caused the voting place to be moved.
"Yeah, you could call it adverse conditions," said Rob Rubins, Tonganoxie resident. "The place had an outside toilet and in November it can get pretty cold!"
get pretty cool.
In addition to the lack of convenient bathrooms,
28-year owner Florence Yates also was opposed to
voting at the tavern.
"It was really a pain." Yates said inside the tiny tavern, which is also on Old Highway 40. "We had to put up the booze and we always had to be in case something went wrong."
Now, the 15-chair, three-table and six-stool bar only serves the local regulars that hang out in the bar during open hours.
"This wasn't any place for people to vote." Yates said. "But I don't think that where we're voting now is better. There's no place to park out there. I don't see why we just don't build something to be used to vote in."
TONGANOXIE — The basement of Zenobia Davis' home served as the polling place for Stranger Township.
Voting was moved from Stub's Place to a shed behind a brick school house, just a few miles down
the road from the tavern. But when the school house burned down, the "building out back" was bought and towed away.
"The first year we had it here at the Davies was during Reagan's election," Holton said. "I remember standing out in the front yard waving people in from the road so they would know where to vote."
Now, Holton only has to sit in the basement with a pencil in one hand and muricies in the other and let the computers do the work.
if the computer is turned on.
Although Stranger residents vote at a homely place, their votes will be tallied by computer in Leavenworth for the first time.
"They've got a machine that goes 'zoop, zoop,
zoop, zoop.' " Holton said while moving her hands
back and forth as she imitated the feeding of
balloons into the computer. "It goes faster than I
can count."
Ballots to be counted in a quiet corner of the basement by a separate counting board. One person would read the votes while someone else marked each one down in a book.
Tongabai Reservoir
But about 15 miles northwest in Oksalaoka Township, eyes were still crossing as Oksalaoka officials continued the old tallying process at their voting booths inside the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows Lodge.
marked each one down his foot.
"Seemed like all we said for hours was 'one, two, three, four, tally,'" said Aileen Sheehan, Tongonake resident.
Back in the IOOF kitchen, four voting officials sat around a table covered with tally books, stringers and pink ballots.
on one side of the kitchen table. Roy Downs of Oskalaosa looked like an orchestra conductor as his arms went up and down while he sewed the ballots together with a needle and string.
ingers and pink oatlets. Ballots are counted in the back room, tallied and string together to keep them intact for the ride to bigger election offices.
Senate's turnover normal,profssay
By BILL RAYNOLDS
A KU faculty member and the chairman of the Senate Executive Committee said last night that the Democratic resurgence in national Senate races might indicate a traditional political phenomenon — that the party out of power regains political clout in off-election years.
"This mid-term election turnaround may be a normal inclination of voters to welcome changes in the Senate," said Mel Dubnick, the chairman and associate professor of public administration.
Democrats now control anywhere from 52 to 55 Senate seats. The party gained seats in states including Colorado and Nevada. Dubnick declared these as important victories for the Democrats because the two states traditionally have elected Republicans to the Senate.
Voters may have pulled the levers for more Democratic candidates to indicate their hesitation to accept Reagan's policies, which Dubnick said Reagan attempted to mandate through his support of Republican Senate candidates.
The people are sending signals to
However, Ellen Reid Gold, associate professor of communication studies who teaches a class on campaign rhetoric, said the Democratic victories in the Senate races might have excited voters for Democrats to candidates instead of a backlash at the Republican Party.
Reagan," Dubniek said. "This will make Reagan a lame-duck president and will reduce his influence in the Senate. And the fact that Dole will be Senate minority leader doesn't reflect well on the Republican Party."
Dubnick also said last night's Democratic turn-around might indicate a trend to move away from politically conservative candidates and to accept more politically moderate candidates.
The Democratic domination in last night's races should not be taken as a repudiation of Reagan, she said.
Despite the Democratic victories last night, both Dubnick and Gold said that more people voted across party lines than in the past, and that political campaigns focused more on individual candidates and their' stands on issues.
United Press International
Missouri GOP gains from Bond's victory
ST. LOUIS — Christopher S. Bond is Missouri's new U.S. senator, adding to Republican domination of a state that once was traditionally Democratic.
Unofficial returns in yesterday's election gave Bond a lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. Harriett Woods of 723,991 to 657,518. Only a small number of ballots remained uncounted.
The two candidates competed for the seat left vacant by Democratic Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton, who retired after serving three terms.
"We've done it. We've won it." Bond said. "You know we've had one of the toughest battles that I've ever seen in this state. Harriett Woods was a formidable opponent."
"We now are a one-party Republican state in so far as statewide office is concerned," said Eagleton. "We do not have an upwardly mobile group of political candidates on the horizon we can turn to and say, 'Here's our future.'"
Eagleton said Bond's victory "wiped out" the Democratic Party in Missouri.
Woods, in conceding her loss, told gloomy supporters at her St. Louis campaign headquarters, "Look, we have lost this election, but tomorrow is another day. The battle goes on and we're going to continue to fight together, and eventually we'll win."
together and President Reagan and Vice President George Bush helped bring about Bond's Senate victory by campaigning in Missouri. Reagan visited the state three times in 1986.
Bond's election marks the first time in 36 years that both of the state's Senate seats will be occupied
by Republicans.
Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., who will become the state's senior senator after Eagleton's retirement at the end of this year, is serving his second term.
Woods was defeated in her first attempt at a Senate seat by Danforth in 1982. She lost by only 26,000 votes.
Combined cost of the Bond-Woods Senate race was at least $9 million, the most expensive campaign in Missouri history. Not all expenses have been tabulated yet. Bond raised about $5 million, and Woods $4 million.
Republicans and Democrats in Missouri say they expect Bond to carefully shape his role as a U.S. senator and seize any opportunity to run on the GOP national ticket as a candidate for president or vice president.
GOP resurgence in Missouri began in 1968 with the election of Danforth as attorney general. He was re-elected to the post in 1972 and has been elected U.S. senator twice.
bond was defeated in his first political race for Congress in 1968, but he was elected state auditor in 1970. Two years later he was elected governor, becoming the state's youngest chief executive ever at age 33.
He lost his bid for re-election in 1976 to a populist Democrat, Joseph P Teasdale. The two faced each other again in 1980, and Bond defeated Teasdale to win his second term as Missouri governor.
Bond, 47, is a lawyer from Mexico. Mo., who now lives in Kansas City, Mo. He is married and has a 5-year-old son, Sam.
GOP could take most governorships, chairman says
"The solid South that the Democrats used to talk about aint so solid anymore," said GOP national chairman Frank Fahrenkopf last night. "As we head to the West, I think we have a good shot of maybe ending up with a majority of the governorshins."
The Associated Press
won or generational vacancies, 15 of them created by retiring Democrats. Republicans saw an opportunity for large gains and a chance to capture a majority of governors for the first time since
Democrats held 34 governorships and were defending 27 of them. The GOP was defending nine governorships.
1969.
Wisconsin's Democratic incumbent, Gov. Anthony Earl, was trailing narrowly behind GOP challenger Tommy Thompson.
Most other incumbent governors were having an easier time of it, with New York Democrat Mario Cuomo winning big. Incumbent Democrats James Blanchard in Michigan, Michael Dukakis in Massachusetts, Richard Celeste in Ohio, Joe Frank
Harris in Georgia, Bill Clinton in Arkansas, Rudolf Pernich in Minnesota, and William O'Neill in Connecticut all swept to re-election.
Republican Gov James Thompson won another term in Illinois, Republican Edward Dip Prete won reelection in Rhode Island, and John Sununu, chairman of the GOP governors, won another term in New Hampshire. In Iowa, Republician Gov Terry Branstad was re-elected.
The GOP scored victories on Democratic turf in Florida, Alabama, Maine, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina and New
Mexico. Republicans also led in the Democratic-bold states of Oklahoma, Idaho and Wisconsin.
But Democrats wrested both Tennessee and Pennsylvania, both states with two-term GOP governors retiring.
In Alabama, where Democrats were splintered over a bitter nomination fight, Republican Guy Hunt defeated Democratic Lt. Gov. Bill Baxley to become the state's first GOP governor elected in 112 years.
Martinez's victory over Democratic state legislator Steve Paicic made him the first Hispanic to
In the hotly contested South Carolina race, Republican Rep. Carroll Campbell held a very small lead.
be elected governor of Florida. A Democrat until three years ago, Martinez is only the second Republican to win the Florida governorship.
Another key state was Pennsylvania, whichDemocratRobert Casey took from William Scranton III, culminating a race that focused on the youngful Scranton's flat tirlations with drugs and Transcendental Meditation.
In Illinois, Republican Gov. James Thompson defeated Adalian Stevenson
III, who was running under a third-party banner because of the nomination of supporters of political extremist Lymond LaRouche as his running mates in the Democratic primary.
In hotly contested Nebraska, a race featuring two women as nominees, former Lincoln Mayor Helen Boosalis narrowly lost to Kay Orr, who was the state treasurer and has been a longtime Republican enthusiast of Reagan.