Americana: Pennsylvania Poker

Pennsylvanians last week elected 101 Republicans and 101 Democrats to the 203-seat state legislature. In the battle for the remaining seat, from the rural area around Gettysburg, Incumbent Democrat Kenneth Cole and Republican Donald Moul, director of the National Trotting and Pacing Association, each got exactly 8,551 votes. The tie made it impossible to settle such crucial matters as control of the speaker's job and the appointment of committee chairmen. Should the tie hold after a recount, the candidates will settle the contest by drawing lots from a paper bag. Complained Cole's wife: "People in a democracy are entitled to more than a poker game."