For the Record

Will Ronald Reagan stay the course? “We will not compromise on principle —on what we absolutely believe is essential to recovery,” commented Reagan a day after election. . . . Despite loss of 26 GOP seats, White House Communications Director David Gergen believes there is a pool of 245 Representatives from which Reagan can get a majority of 218 to support him on certain votes. All of the Boll Weevils, Southern Democrats who provided Reagan with key votes in tax and budget lights, were reelected. . . . Over 60 per cent of candidates backed by Committee on Political Education, AFL-CIO’s political arm, won their races. AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland hopes to have labor unified enough to issue an endorsement of presidential candidate by late 1983—before presidential primaries begin. … As good as COPE did, it didn’t do as well as National Conservative Political Action Committee, which supposedly took 1982 on chin: 70 per cent of NCPAC’s candidates won.

Most commentators call Senate results even, but GOP actually picked up a seat. Going into election, GOP held 54 seats to 46 for Democrats, but one GOP seat was held by Nicholas Brady, New Jersey Republican who was tilling seat vacated by Harrison Williams, the Abscammed Democrat. When Democrat Frank Lautenberg defeated Republican Millicent Fenwick, seat returned to Democratic column, where it was since election of Williams in 1958. . . . Party switchers won one and lost one. In Pennsylvania, Rep. Eugene Atkinson, who switched from Democrat to Republican last year, was defeated by Democrat Joseph Kolter. In Arizona, Bob Stump, who made same switch as Atkinson, beat Democrat Pat Bosch. . . . In California, liberal Democrat Phil Burton, whose redistricting legerdemain antagonized many Californians, managed to eke out win over Republican Milton Marks. GOP incumbents Barry M. Goldwater and Robert K. Dornan sought, unsuccessfully, GOP senatorial nomination after Burton reshaped their House districts into Democratic territory, and are now out, as is Rep. John Rousselot. After Burton carved up Rousselot’s old district, Rousselot decided to challenge Democratic incumbent Matthew Martinez for seat in 30th district. District is heavily Democratic and Martinez won. . . . Voters in northwestern Connecticut elected Republican Nancy Johnson to fill seat previously held by Toby Moffett, who lost Senate bid to Lowell Weicker, Republican whose defeat would have caused fewest tears in White House. Johnson is one of five women newly elected to Congress. Number of women in House is 21, one above previous record. Maryland leads all states with three women: Barbara Mikulski (D.), Marjorie Holt (R.), and Beverly Byron (D.). … In Massachusettes, Ted Kennedy beat Republican Ray Shamie, but Kennedy’s 61 per cent of vote was his lowest Senate percentage in twenty years. The other Massachusetts mainstay, Tip O’Neill, handily turned back challenge from Republican Frank McNamara. . . .

Featured Tags

House of Representatives

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Will Ronald Reagan stay the course? “We will not compromise on principle —on what we absolutely believe is essential to recovery,” commented Reagan a day after election. . . . Despite loss of 26 GOP seats, White House Communications Director David Gergen believes there is a pool of 245 Representatives from which Reagan can get a majority of 218 to support him on certain votes. All of the Boll Weevils, Southern Democrats who provided Reagan with key votes in tax and budget lights, were reelected. . . . Over 60 per cent of candidates backed by Committee on Political Education, AFL-CIO’s political arm, won their races. AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland hopes to have labor unified enough to issue an endorsement of presidential candidate by late 1983—before presidential primaries begin. … As good as COPE did, it didn’t do as well as National Conservative Political Action Committee, which supposedly took 1982 on chin: 70 per cent of NCPAC’s candidates won.

Most commentators call Senate results even, but GOP actually picked up a seat. Going into election, GOP held 54 seats to 46 for Democrats, but one GOP seat was held by Nicholas Brady, New Jersey Republican who was tilling seat vacated by Harrison Williams, the Abscammed Democrat. When Democrat Frank Lautenberg defeated Republican Millicent Fenwick, seat returned to Democratic column, where it was since election of Williams in 1958. . . . Party switchers won one and lost one. In Pennsylvania, Rep. Eugene Atkinson, who switched from Democrat to Republican last year, was defeated by Democrat Joseph Kolter. In Arizona, Bob Stump, who made same switch as Atkinson, beat Democrat Pat Bosch. . . . In California, liberal Democrat Phil Burton, whose redistricting legerdemain antagonized many Californians, managed to eke out win over Republican Milton Marks. GOP incumbents Barry M. Goldwater and Robert K. Dornan sought, unsuccessfully, GOP senatorial nomination after Burton reshaped their House districts into Democratic territory, and are now out, as is Rep. John Rousselot. After Burton carved up Rousselot’s old district, Rousselot decided to challenge Democratic incumbent Matthew Martinez for seat in 30th district. District is heavily Democratic and Martinez won. . . . Voters in northwestern Connecticut elected Republican Nancy Johnson to fill seat previously held by Toby Moffett, who lost Senate bid to Lowell Weicker, Republican whose defeat would have caused fewest tears in White House. Johnson is one of five women newly elected to Congress. Number of women in House is 21, one above previous record. Maryland leads all states with three women: Barbara Mikulski (D.), Marjorie Holt (R.), and Beverly Byron (D.). … In Massachusettes, Ted Kennedy beat Republican Ray Shamie, but Kennedy’s 61 per cent of vote was his lowest Senate percentage in twenty years. The other Massachusetts mainstay, Tip O’Neill, handily turned back challenge from Republican Frank McNamara. . . .