Word: durkin
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Special state elections often prove unreliable barometers of national political trends. Indeed, the surprisingly decisive victory of Democrat John Durkin in last week's rerun of New Hampshire's long-contested 1974 Senate election may not say much of anything about President Gerald Ford's prospects for election in 1976. Yet if ever there was a masterly campaign aimed at current vulnerabilities of the party in power in Washington, it was Durkin's. His victory in a Republican state shows what a tempting target the Ford Administration has become, at least for the moment...
...vote finally resolved the closest Senate election in U.S. history. In the first election, ten months ago, five-term Republican Congressman Louis Wyman was declared the winner by 355 votes, out of 236,140 cast. Democrats demanded a recount, and to their delight, Durkin turned out to be ten votes ahead. A state review board dominated by Republicans found Wyman had won by a mere two votes. The issue was then carried to the Senate, but Republicans effectively filibustered to prevent the Democratically controlled body from seating Durkin. He finally yielded and agreed to Republican demands for a new election...
...Wyman, a lawyer who was once New Hampshire's attorney general, looked strong on each count. He was more articulate and agile at debate; he looked and sounded like a Senator. "I have been trained for 25 years to learn how to be a U.S. Senator," Wyman boasted. Durkin, on the other hand, seemed ill-fitted to be a politician. He had never before run for elective office; he spoke too stridently, uttered cliches and gave oversimplified answers to tough questions. Also a lawyer, he could claim just five years as the state's appointed insurance commissioner...
Shirt Discomfort. Earlier in the week, uneasiness also filled the air as the President made a campaign swing through New Hampshire to support Republican Louis C. Wyman in his rerun Senate race against Democrat John A. Durkin. Ford spoke, shook hands, and waved at the large, friendly crowds at 22 political stops on a 118-mile motorcade-all the while wearing a protective vest under his shirt. It probably was a 4½-lb., ⅜-in.-thick model made of Kevlar, a synthetic material that resembles fiber-glass cloth. The White House refused to confirm or deny press reports...
Young also said last night, "Durkin had the advantage of being against Washington--against the government...