The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 8

The News-Journal papers Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1986 Election '86: Across the nation More coverage, A14B A8 iden would rather see Kennedy in Judiciary chair one really knows. Biden said Ken earlier interview. "What will you guys in the press do to me if I get to be the youngest chairman of Judiciary and I turn it down? Do you write that Biden is running away from responsibility?" And it does have the potential of doing great good for Biden. "The up side could be that it guarantees me the nomination," Biden said earlier.

"I'd be able to get great credibility with the liberal community," where Biden believes he is vulnerable, "but it would not impact on my ability to run a centrist campaign because it committee work would only cover 10 percent of the issues you run on." The down side is that constant conflict with Reagan would hurt his standing with southern Democrats. That scenario, Biden says, could cost him the nomination. And while it is still two years before the 1988 presidential race and Biden has made no official decision he is inching his way the Democratic victory means a reduction of his power. No longer will he be chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, or head of its investigations subcommittee. In those posts; Roth recently received national prominence for investigations into cost overruns and overbilling by defense contractors.

Roth, however, predicted that he'd get along with the Democrats likely to take over. They are Ohio Sen. John Glenn as head of Govern mental Affairs, and Georgia Sam Nunn as head of the investigations subcommittee. "I work very well with both of them," Roth said. "The big thing is it tends to make a lame duck of the president.

It tends to make for confron-tation and stalemate in government." "But the president is remarkably' successful," he said. "Even if that does happen, don't count this presi-' dent out." onto the national stage. Take, for example, his television schedule Tuesday night and this morning. At 10:15 p.m., Biden was taped analyzing election results for CBS. He was interviewed in the Radisson Hotel Wilmington, where the network had set up a studio specifically to get Biden on the air.

At 11:30 p.m., Biden appeared on ABC's "Nightline." He was interviewed from his home, where ABC had set up a camera for a live feed. (ABC's Philadelphia affiliate interupted with Pennsylvania results, however.) And this morning, Biden was in Philadelphia being interviewed for NBC's "Today" show. The reason for all that attention, Biden staffers say, is that among the potential Democratic candidates for president, Biden is now rated third after Colorado Sen. Gary Hart and New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.

For Delaware's William V. Roth greatly damage a Biden presidential bid. Either way, it is apparently an honor Biden has decided he does not want. Late Tuesday night, Biden said he is encouraging Sen. Edward M.

Kennedy, to take charge of the committee. He said it is not an attempt to dodge what could be a major political risk. "I really think Kennedy should do it," Biden said, "He is really a symbol of civil rights and civil liberties for blacks and Hispanics, and he is uniquely suited for the role that is coming up This is going to be a battle between the center left and the center right on what the Supreme Court should look like." While Biden has been ranking Democrat since 1981, Kennedy has more years on the committee. That means Kennedy could return to claim the chairmanship. Speculation in Washington is that Kennedy will do just that, but no By NATHAN GORENSTEIN Staff reporter One mystery has been solved.

The Democrats are now in the majority in the U.S. Senate, making two years of friction with the Reagan administration a virtual certainty. But for Joseph R. Biden Delaware's Democratic senator and a likely presidential candidate, a new question is raised by his party's victory, one that may not be settled for weeks. It is this: Will Biden now become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee? For Biden the stakes are great.

Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee would put Biden on center stage for a variety of debates on major national issues judicial nominations, abortion, civil rights and drug enforcement, to name a few. It could give him wide publicity and great opportunities or through constant wars with a popular president, Ronald Reagan, nedy has not told him. And Kennedy's staff says no one knows. "The senator has not made a choice," Kennedy's deputy press secretary, Melody' Miller, said this week. "He's ruminated to a lot of people," said Miller, and told them "he's concerned about judicial and Supreme Court nominations, and antitrust legislation." But Miller insisted that does not mean Kennedy has made up his mind.

If by some chance Kennedy turns down the Judiciary Committee job, Biden will presumably then become the chairman. At that point, he may have no choice, practically speaking, even if it creates too many political problems, or interferes with the time he needs to spend campaigning. "I'm not sure how you don't do it," Biden said of that scenario in an GOP chalks up statehouse gains 4 i fwU Avv "-4t itl AP AP Major gains centered in West, South By JOAN MOWER Associated Press Republicans, stripped of their majority in the Senate, found solace in the nation's gubernatorial elections, where they netted at least eight new seats, including coveted Texas and Florida. GOP strategists said their band of governors in the West and the South, a traditionally Democratic enclave, will help party-building efforts before presidential elections in 1988 and congressional redistricting in 1990. With all but one of 36 gubernatorial elections decided, the count early today was 25-24 in favor of the Democrats.

Republicans actually took previously Democratic governors' offices in 11 states, but lost three previously held by Republicans. The 11 were Wisconsin, South Carolina, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, Maine, Florida, Alabama and Arizona. The three were Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Oregon. GOP candidate Arliss Sturgulewski, one of nine women guberna-1 torial candidates across the nation, lost to Democrat Stephen C. Cowper in a three-way Alaska race complicated by the write-in candidacy of former GOP Gov.

Wally Hickel. The Democratic incumbent there was defeated in the primary. Democratic incumbent Madeleine Kunin seemed destined to prevail in Vermont, but the question there won't be settled until January. Kunin polled 47 percent in a three-way race, throwing the election to the Legislature. Republicans last held a majority of statehouses in 1969.

Even though they seemed certain to fall just short of reaching that benchmark, Michele Davis, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, proclaimed the gains that were made "an amazing, amazing accomplishment." Among the Democratic victories Tuesday were nine in which popular incumbents like New York's Mario Cuomo and Massachusetts' Mike Dukakis swept to victory. California and Illinois re-elected Hunt, a Republican, with his Governorships Re-elected New York Gov. Mario Cuomo waves to crowd. CUOMO WINS New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, considered a Democratic presidential contender in 1988, won a second term Tuesday by easily defeating an under-financed Republican, Westchester County Executive Andrew O'Rourke.

Cuomo stood a good chance of breaking the 104-year-old record victory margin in a New York gubernatorial race of 58.4 percent. ERA LOSES IN VERMONT In a ballot contest seen as a test of efforts to revive a federal Equal Rights Amendment, Vermonters appear to have narrowly defeated a women's rights amendment to the state Constitution. With 72 percent of the precincts reporting early today, 49 percent voted for the amendment, while 51 percent voted against it. The vote in favor was the vote against, 63,185. Sixteen states have ERAs in their constitutions.

The amendment read: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by Vermont or any of its political subdivisions on account of the sex of the individual." No state has approved an ERA in 10 years. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES HAWAII The Justice Department sued the state of Hawaii on Tuesday, accusing officials there of waiting too long to mail out absentee ballots. The suit in U.S. District Court in Honolulu seeks to move back to Nov. 14 the deadline for returning the absentee ballots, which under state law are required to be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.

The Justice Department's civil rights division alleges that absentee ballots were not mailed by Hawaiian authorities to American citizens living abroad until two to three weeks before Election Day. FEDERAL POLL WATCHERS OUT Federal observers were sent to Mississippi, New Mexico and Arizona for Tuesday's elections, according to Assistant Attorney General William Bradford Reynolds. Reynolds, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, said 79 poll watchers were assigned to Mississippi, 28 to New Mexico and 40 to Arizona. REAGAN SECLUDED President Reagan remained secluded as he watched Tuesday's election returns in the White House, but his spokesman denied that 4r the Democratic momentum in the Senate race reflected poorly on the I president. "Some people say Reagan lost- We believe he won," said presi Here are the latest returns as reported by the Associated Press.

The percentage of precincts counted is given alter the state name. "Dem" and "GOP" designate Democratic and Republican candidates. An (x-) before a name indicates the winning candidate; (i) identities an incumbent. Votes on abortion, AIDS, English vary dential spokesman Larry Speakes at a late White House meeting with reporters. Speakes, while emphasizing that the White House did not agree with some of the early network projections of Democratic Senate victories, said Reagan was a victor "because we made many of these races we turned them into horse races." The Reagans, who had voted by absentee ballot in California, left Los Angeles wife, Helen, at a victory rally.

MINNESOTA 89 x-Perpich, Dem (i) 684,08855 Ludeman, GOP 558,46945 NEBRASKA 99 Boosalis, Dem 260,63847 x-Orr, GOP 290,88353 EVADA 100 x-Bryan, Dem (i) 187,26473 Cafferata, GOP 65,08125 None of these. 5,471 2 NEW HAMPSHIRE 100 McEachern, Dem 116,15446 134,67454 NEW MEXICO 98 Powell, Dem 179,74847 x-Carruthers, GOP 203,64053 NEW YORK 98 x-Cuomo, Dem (i) ..2,683,64365 O'Rourke, GOP 1,335,59332 Dillon, RTL 132,5093 OHIO 100 x-Celeste, Dem (i) 1,856,30561 Rhodes, GOP 1,207,04839 OKLAHOMA 93 Walters, Dem 363.97149 x-Bellmon, GOP 384,70151 OREGON 96 x-Goldschmidt, Dem 501,45252 Paulus, GOP 454,99448 PENNSYLVANIA 99 x-Casey, Dem 1,704,84551 Scranton, GOP 1 ,632,36549 RHODE ISLAND 99 Sundlun, Dem 101,02433 203,50067 SOUTH CAROLINA 97 Daniel, Dem 347,70249 x-Campbell, GOP ....368,10151 SOUTH DAKOTA 99 Herseth.Dem 140,22648 x-Mickelson, GOP 149,94752 TENNESSEE 100 x-McWherter, Dem 657,42654 Dunn, GOP 552,90046 TEXAS 99 White, Dem(i) 1,566,35947 x-Clements, GOP 1,791,11353 VERMONT 95 Kunin, Dem (i) 85,29247 Smith, GOP 68,79938 Sanders, Ind 26,40915 Gottlieb, LUn 4720 WISCONSIN 99 Earl, Dem (i) 698,79747 x-Thompson, GOP 796,05053 WYOMING 100 x-Sullivan, Dem 88,82754 Simpson, GOP 75,77546 Alabama governor-elect Guy GOP incumbents, George Deukme-jian and James Thompson, respectively. Democrats had held 15 open seats, while Republicans had only four vacancies. The GOP won in 17 states, grabbing control of eight vacant Demo-cratic seats and defeating incumbents in Texas and Wisconsin, two states where economic issues were a factor. In the West and South, GOP candidates capturing open seats previously held by Democrats included: Guy Hunt as the first Republican governor of Alabama since Reconstruction; former Democrat Bob Martinez as Florida's second Republican governor and first Hispanic; Rep.

Carroll Campbell in South Carolina; Harry Bell-mo in Oklahoma; Garrey Carruthers in New Mexico; Evan Meacham in Arizona, and Mike Hayden in Kansas. swept to victory in five of six states: Montana, Kansas, South Dakota, Idaho and Florida, which also soundly rejected county-option casino gambling. North Dakota voters rejected a lottery. After more than a century of tight liquor controls, including a prohibition period that lasted 68 years, Kansas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to legalize county-option liquor by the drink. In California, Proposition 63, which would amend the state Constitution to recognize English as the state's official language, won 73 percent of the vote.

California citizens rejected Proposition 64, which called for identification and quarantine of AIDS victims, by more than a 70 percent margin. Washington State voters approved a referendum protesting a federal proposal to locate the nation's first dump for highly radioactive wastes at the Hanford nuclear reservation. In Idaho, voters appeared in favor of retaining the state's right-to-work law. With 76 percent of precincts reporting, the right-to-work law had captured 54 percent of the vote. Reagan ALABAMA 99 Baxley, Dem 530.05143 x-Hunt, GOP 687,83256 Graddick, Ind 2,9700 ALASKA 94 x-Cowper, Dem 70,78452 Sturgulewski, GOP 64,41448 ARIZONA 99 Warner, Dem 293,94434 x-Mecham, GOP 339,77340 Schulz, Ind 221,63326 ARKANSAS 95 x-Clinton, Dem (i) 424,82064 White, GOP 239,51336 CALIFORNIA 98 Bradley, Dem 2,693,50838 x-Deukmejian, R(i) 4,337,56862 COLORADO 99 615,64659 Strickland, GOP ...433,93841 CONNECTICUT 99 x-O Neill, Dem(i) 571,94658 Belaga.GOP 413,67742 FLORIDA 99 Pajcic, Dem 1,489,27246 x-Martinez, GOP 1,767,97154 GEORGIA 99 x-Harris, Dem (i) 819,42470 Davis, GOP 345,58330 HAWAII 100 x-Waihee, Dem 148,69352 Anderson, GOP 136,82148 IDAHO 99 x-Andrus, Dem 191,95950 Leroy.GOP 188,45850 LLUNQJS 97 x-Thompson GOP(i) 1 ,600,47357 Stevenson Sid 1 ,203,32643 IOWA 99 Junkins, Dem 430,92248 x-Branstad, GOP (i) 463,63652 KANSAS, 99 Docking, Dem 400,12748 x-Hayden, GOP MAINE 92 Tierney, Dem 115,30331 x-McKernan, GOP 148,574 39 Huber.lnd 56,89115 Menario, Ind 56,69515 MARYLAND 99 x-Schaeter, Dem 876,57782 Mooney, GOP 189,28418 MASSACHUSETTS 92 x-Dukakis, Dem (i) 1,044,16269 Kariotis.GOP 473,71631 MICHIGAN 99 x-Blanchard, (i) 1 ,61 1 ,24269 Lucas, GOP 740,50131 Associated Press Anti-abortion ballot issues fared badly in three states and lotteries were approved in five others, while Californians made English their official state language and rejected quarantining people with AIDS.

More than 200 state and local ballot issues were decided across the country on Tuesday. In Oregon, an initiative allowing residents to grow marijuana for their personal use won only 26 percent of the vote. Voters approved a $1.2 billion toxic waste cleanup bond in New York and a Massachusetts resolution calling for a timetable for cleaning up that state's waste sites. Laws requiring the mandatory use of seat belts met mixed results. Voters is Nebraska retained its seat-belt law, but those in Massachusetts repealed a similar law.

Anti-abortion measures were trailing in Rhode Island, Oregon and Massachusetts. But in Arkansas, Amendment 65, which would prohibit spending state funds for abortions unless the mother's life was in danger, was a virtual dead heat. Proponents led, 314,161 votes to 314,018, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Lotteries, on the other hand, Tuesday morning for the homeward leg of the president's campaign trek trying to save the Senate for his Republican Party. JUSTICE BIRD OUSTED Losing overwhelmingly, California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, the first woman to head the state Supreme Court, on Tuesday became the first chief justice in the modern history of the court to be voted out of office.

Associate Justices Joseph R. Grodin and Cruz Reynoso, two other members of the court's liberal majority who were closely linked to Bird, also were losing Tuesday night, possibly setting the stage for a Republican governor to appoint a majority of the court for the first time since the Depression. Reynoso, appointed in 1982, was the first Hispanic member of the court. WHAT'S IN A NAME? Here are the names of some of the candidates for governor, senator and member of Congress in Tuesday's election: Ireland, Scott, English and Canada. Christian, Kindness.

Hoover, Truman, Buchanan, Taylor and Wilson. Ford and Olds. Carr. Coats and Vest. Hem.

Hunter and Fisher. Butcher and Baker. Fowler and Skinner. Cooper and Chandler. Miller and Porter.

Brown, Green, White and Gray. Boxer. Sharp, Blow. Popp, Bonker. Staggers.

Bell. Solomon and Wise. Obey. Sturgulewski, Murkowski, Zschau, Pajcic, Quraishi, Bilirakis, Gejdenson, Grzywacki, Uthlaut, Suhadolnik and Kanjorski..