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Show I'age THE DAILY HERALD. Provo, Utah, A6 29, 1994 Thursday, September iodumbenf Demos an Top endangered species? lottery winner shared wealth with the needy By IKE FLORES Associated Press Writer ' By JOHN KING AP Political Writer Republicans a House majority, In a de- WASHINGTON leasing election season for Democrats: Sen. Kent Conrad is one of the lucky ones, never mentioned on the growing list of endangered incumbents. Still, better safe than sorry. "A majority of the time, I vote with the Republican leader. Bob Dole," Conrad says in his latest television ad in North Dakota. "That's not praising Bob Dole's record," Conrad said in an Wednesday. "That's just pointing out that it's meaningless to say I vote with the president most of the time. ... Most of the votes around here are "The Republicans are understandably jumping with glee at some of the numbers they see right now," said Sweitzer. "But as this thing gets closer a lot of their chal- - intei-vie- ." "I support think WINTER PARK, Fla. -- the president when I he's right ... and I oppose his policies when they are wrong for North Dakota." the ad says. Consider it insurance against a Democratic meltdown. With just 40 days to Election to Day, Democrats see trouble it's opportunity Republicans, everywhere they look. The climate was supposed to be bad for Democrats this year, because of historical trends in midterm elections, festering and sentiment and President Clinton's subpar public standing. But not even the party pessimists thought things could be this bad. nt "1 think in the end things will even out, but it's a lot tougher out thee than I thought it would be," O When Sheelah Ryan hit a $55 million Lotto jackpot, it was the best thing that ever happened to a lot of people. Like the who needed a kidney transplant. Miss Ryan gave her $10,000. Or the too. lengers who look real good right now are going to get a closer look and all of these races are going to teacher (3 O 4ft--sl insurance whose wouldn't pay for a bone marrow transplant to help her fight breast cancer. Miss Ryan started a campaign with $5,000. Then there were all the homeless mothers, elderly people, students and others who got help K3J from the foundation Miss Ryan J?TW established after winning the 11 Florida lottery in 1988. On Tuesday, some of those she helped were among the 300 people at her funeral. "If God had designated someone to shower with money for the good of others, she was that perAP Photo son," friend Terrelle Kerr told the group at St. Margaret Mary America's largest single lottery winner and her casket of Sheelah Ryan at Catholic Church in this Orlando Pallbearers carry the her burial following funeral services Tuesday in winning will continue to fund the Ryan Foundasuburb. a charitable organization for the poor. Winter Park, Fla. Ryan, who died Saturday, was tion, Miss Ryan died of cancer Saturday at 69. But her foundation will live on because the remainsaleswoman spent relatively little cats, and give $500 to a high find a job. Now she runs a small der of her lottery jackpot, paid in on herself after hitting what was school boy who returned a $100,-00- 0 business. annual installments of nearly then the nation's largest lottery cashier's check he found. Having money never changed $2.8 million, will go to her esjackpot for one person. Miss Ryan, said the Rev. Richard tighten." fund-raisi- ng Already, there is some evidence to support Sweitzer's view. In Colorado, GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Benson had pulled even or ahead of Democratic Gov. Roy Romer. But his surge brought and disclosures media scrutiny from a divorce file that he once threatened to kill his first wife. Benson said he w as angry and did not mean it literally, but that and other damaging disclosures have hurt his bid. 0 But Democrats can't count on such developments everywhere, and are hardly helped by the collapse of health care reform legislation and Clinton's persistently bad poll numbers. Nor, though, can Republicans expect the outlook to remain as rosy as it looks now. "It feels a lot like 1982, when we got buried under a tide on Election Day," says Republican Steeper. "But we had a recession then. We have 3 Vi percent growth now. So there is no theory to support thinking things w ill be that bad for the Democrats." tate. Other than buying a Lincoln Town Car when her old Mercury gave out and moving from a trailer park to a $260,000 lakeside house, the former real estate One woman who spoke at a memorial Monday night told how Instead, she did things like pay overdue rent for single mothers, help build housing, donate $1,000 to college students trying to find homes for stray low-co- Walsh. "She merely found a way to express her goodness by making life easier for hundreds less fortunate," he said. she and her daughter became homeless after her husband died. Miss Ryan put her through college, she said, then helped her st : laments Donald Sweitzer, the Democratic National Committee political director. "I've waited 15 years for this to happen." marvels GOP pollster Iiill Mclnturff. "The world has turned." Consider just a smidgeon of the evidence supporting the Republican euphoria and Democratic despair: Already competitive or ahead an incumbent. Republicans are now striking fear into several Democratic incumbents. Among them: Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania, I'd w ard M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Dianne Feinstein of California. Charles S. Robb of Virginia ;nd James Sasser of Tennessee. And Democratic hopes of toppling :mv GOP incumbent are dimming. Republican projections for n:;!jor gains in House races across the Southern and border states are holding solid, and there are a growing number of GOP opportunities in the Midwest and West Coast. ns I in all nine Senate races without Not only is House Speaker Thomas S. Foley of Washington in trouble (down 14 points in a poll released Tuesday), but Republican challengers in a handful of other districts viewed as long shots or worse for the GOP suddenly find themselves competitive. Democratic incumbents handed surprising and troubling poll numbers recently include freshman Maria Cantwell of Washington, Dick Swett of New Hampshire and a handful of veterans, including Bill Hefner of North Carolina and Richard Lehman of California. Oar I is wr " l I i ZM V. ' yr we xc :a"ti '" Matte Finish Stock and Barrel Magnum Chamber Remchoke system 'Walnut , Stock .Rotary bolt for t.ght lockup e system Vent Rib J mT&J)xJ Mw2 AKr V04. . IL J . Modified Choke Tube Deluxe Blued Finish Vent Rib Walnut Finish Stock with Recoil Pad 1 1 '"' J ' Gauge Pump Shotgun I I I T Win-chok- 1 "yJ , l!lU3IrTri'T , Cmsfsf WTTOz Hardwood Stock 13uO I 2 870 Express Pump Shotgun pP010 i nn HllklJ CVYTT'T I (TITHl ' wiw I ) v two-term- er -- California GOP Gov. Pete Wilson has gone from to ahead, and Republican challengers in Texas, Florida and New York have put Democratic veterans Ann Richards, Lawton Chiles and Mario Cuomo into toss-u- p races heading into the final weeks. rtnTT'TTTfrrp" T?-- n l;lfi1ftM73V F.Tjr-- : XL. . i r . n i.i hi mew eacKDoara invecxor rius system Bottom Feed and Ejection for Right and Left Handed Shooters - -- vj-y VJlULJ-.'L- - New Li9ht Cnf Contur Barrel C . rif inauaej tiara une (t v ,t" (t r' , Invector Choke iystem - or 3- IMagnum , i' Kiuea mceiver ureal vaiue Construction Quality y 111 given-up-for-de- Given all that, some Republicans are beginning to suggest Election Day might bring a powerful GOP tide, one of those rare swings in politics where one party wins a at bunch of races it shouldn't least not by any objective analysis. "The polling data indicate there is a Democratic meltdown but the real world data say it shouldn't happen," said Fred Steeper, a Republican pollster based in Michigan. By "real world," Steeper means, "We have no recession and we have no war and we have no major scandal." i'iii'iiihMhrii.h'n Wader Jacket GAMEHIDE Tl FEDERAL WINCHESTER. Brown Woodland Camo Insulated For Warmth Triple Sealed Copper Plated Dry Lok XSM123 Knit Collar it ! AJten weeks in advance. After all, many Democratic incumbents have been hamstrung from a campaign standpoint because Congress is in session in Washington, and experience and deeper campaign bank accounts often tilt races toward incumbents in l.jS Woodsman Parka Cordura Shotgun Case Camo Color Safehide Fabric Zipper with Wind Flap Uprights G&H Decoy Insulated Camo EHIDE - Super Mag Grey, Real Tree Camo Design Because of that. Democrats believe Election Day won't be as unkind to them as the outlook six 4- Faster Burning Powder Camo Bomber Jacket CARRYLITE 12 Gauge Water Resistant Fatigue bell Cordura Full Length Zipper Lohman 103 Standard 799 Duck Call 112 Standard Lohman 799 Goose Call Big River with tape Raised Feather Detail Custom Painted Super-Impa- Plastic hJ 2499 PS OLT Goose Honker ..1599 Water Gremlin Decoy 499 Weight Decoy Anchor Our Low Pric GrtdLn evraroAY "I do not subscribe to the tidal wave theory," said DNC Chairman David Wilhelm. Still, Democrats acknowledge at Store 1290 S. State Specialty Store Full Selection Superstore at 225-950- 0 Hours: Mon-Fr- l 10 9. Sat 9-- Sun clottd St. ' Goose Call the final days. that if elections were held today, they likely would suffer a debacle, probably losing control of the Senate and coming perilously close to the 40-seloss that would give .I. pu!.,.UJH.i.tii.L 22" Length Classic Steel W149 12 Gauge ' Standard Goose Decoy 'Zipper Front J I University Mall Sun rlod Noun: 224-911- 5 Mon-Si- t 10-- t. t 1 1 t |