For the Record

In the gubernatorial races it was a draw: The Democrats retained the statehouse in Virginia; Republican incumbent Tom Kean won a smashing 70 per cent victory in New Jersey. Of interest, Kean’s pitch was to the left of the national Republican Party; Virginia Democratic candidate Gerard Baliles’s pitch was to the right of his national party. Commented Democratic National Chairman Paul Kirk: The Virginia race “makes it clear that when Democrats address common interests, mainstream concerns of the average American without regard to race or gender, we win.” Said Republican National Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf Jr.: “[In Virginia] you had a Democratic ticket running as far away from the national Democratic Party as they could run.” . . . Long-range outlook: This is second victory in a row for moderate Democrats in Virginia (retiring Gov. Chuck Robb is a Democrat), and could mark end of long decline in Virginia of Democratic fortunes touched off by defection of Sen. Harry Byrd Jr. a dozen years ago. In New Jersey, Kean, who won by less than two thousand votes in ’81, will, for first time, have a GOP state assembly to work with; could consolidate GOP hold on state. . . . Fascinating exit polls in New Jersey (WABC-TV) show that Kean won 69 per cent of union vote, 60 per cent of black vote, cutting into traditional Democratic constituencies in industrial Northeast. . . . Erosion among blacks is the emerging political story since that Public Opinion poll in October showed Reagan’s popularity up to 28 per cent among blacks, from 10 per cent in 1980. Worse, in the view of Democratic strategists, is poll showing that 33 per cent of young blacks support Reagan. … It may be a sea-change, says Kevin Phillips; he points to those figures, to party switches by black politicians in South and Midwest (Wayne County Executive William Lucas in Michigan, among others), to blacks’ dissatisfaction with liberal nostrums of traditional leaders (Benjamin Hooks, Vernon Jordan, Coretta Scott King), and to emergence of respected black conservative intellectuals (Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams). . . . In other races, most of them mayoral, the incumbent, in general, won: Koch of New York scored a boffo victory, as did Coleman Young in Detroit. Other winners: George Voinovich, Cleveland; Donald Fraser, Minneapolis; Richard Caliguiri, Pittsburgh; Kathryn Whitmire, Houston. Houston race a close one in which gay-rights issues predominated; Mrs. Whitmire ran a pro-gay- rights campaign.

“Your son is playing with my satellites. ”

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In the gubernatorial races it was a draw: The Democrats retained the statehouse in Virginia; Republican incumbent Tom Kean won a smashing 70 per cent victory in New Jersey. Of interest, Kean’s pitch was to the left of the national Republican Party; Virginia Democratic candidate Gerard Baliles’s pitch was to the right of his national party. Commented Democratic National Chairman Paul Kirk: The Virginia race “makes it clear that when Democrats address common interests, mainstream concerns of the average American without regard to race or gender, we win.” Said Republican National Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf Jr.: “[In Virginia] you had a Democratic ticket running as far away from the national Democratic Party as they could run.” . . . Long-range outlook: This is second victory in a row for moderate Democrats in Virginia (retiring Gov. Chuck Robb is a Democrat), and could mark end of long decline in Virginia of Democratic fortunes touched off by defection of Sen. Harry Byrd Jr. a dozen years ago. In New Jersey, Kean, who won by less than two thousand votes in ’81, will, for first time, have a GOP state assembly to work with; could consolidate GOP hold on state. . . . Fascinating exit polls in New Jersey (WABC-TV) show that Kean won 69 per cent of union vote, 60 per cent of black vote, cutting into traditional Democratic constituencies in industrial Northeast. . . . Erosion among blacks is the emerging political story since that Public Opinion poll in October showed Reagan’s popularity up to 28 per cent among blacks, from 10 per cent in 1980. Worse, in the view of Democratic strategists, is poll showing that 33 per cent of young blacks support Reagan. … It may be a sea-change, says Kevin Phillips; he points to those figures, to party switches by black politicians in South and Midwest (Wayne County Executive William Lucas in Michigan, among others), to blacks’ dissatisfaction with liberal nostrums of traditional leaders (Benjamin Hooks, Vernon Jordan, Coretta Scott King), and to emergence of respected black conservative intellectuals (Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams). . . . In other races, most of them mayoral, the incumbent, in general, won: Koch of New York scored a boffo victory, as did Coleman Young in Detroit. Other winners: George Voinovich, Cleveland; Donald Fraser, Minneapolis; Richard Caliguiri, Pittsburgh; Kathryn Whitmire, Houston. Houston race a close one in which gay-rights issues predominated; Mrs. Whitmire ran a pro-gay- rights campaign.

“Your son is playing with my satellites. ”