The Senate: A Thoroughbred Stumbles

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In winning the Senate nomination last week, she handily beat four opponents, including former New York City Mayor John Lindsay. Her principal competition was Bess Myerson, 55, who had the backing of New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Governor Hugh Carey and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Myerson mounted a $1.3 million TV campaign, financed mostly by herself and her wealthy friends, in an attempt to convince New Yorkers that her experience as New York City's commissioner of consumer affairs from 1969 to 1974 qualified her for the Senate. But Holtzman raised $1.2 million, mostly from small contributions from 35,000 people, and staged a last-minute TV blitz of her own (built around her campaign theme: "You know what she's done in the House; think what she could do in the Senate"). She also put together an organization of 5,000 volunteers.

As election day drew near, the campaign turned bitter. Holtzman sniped at Myerson's lucrative consumer consultant contracts with major corporations. Myerson lambasted the Congresswoman for never having voted for a defense appropriation bill. But in the end, even Holtzman's supporters were surprised by her lopsided victory (41% vs. 30% for Myerson).

No sooner had the primary ended than all three candidates began campaigning for the November election. Holtzman was the initial favorite, chiefly because the state is mostly Democratic, and she has strong support among Jews, the elderly and women. D'Amato and Javits immediately began scrambling for the moderate vote. Scoffed D'Amato of Javits and Holtzman: "Tweedledum and Tweedledee." Because of Holtzman's votes against defense budgets, D'Amato complained, the U.S. military would "have trouble buying a popgun." But with endorsements, from the state's tiny Conservative and Right-to-Life parties, D'Amato may have trouble attracting enough moderates to win.

Javits' last hope is to forge a coalition of independents and moderate Republicans and Democrats. But he will have to build a statewide campaign organization from scratch and raise a planned budget of at least $1 million. The task is formidable. Said an old friend and veteran New York politican: "Jack promised to campaign for the Liberal Party, and he always keeps his promises. But I don't think you'll find that his heart is in it any more."