Nation: The Senate: Issues of Personality

A Senator unexpectedly finds himself running against a woman who is famous for winning uphill battles. A liberal suddenly discovers that his biggest rival is the Roman Catholic hierarchy. A classic confrontation between the opposite ends of an industrial state. A Congressman uses his acquittal on vote-buying charges to calculated advantage. All are part of this year's House and Senate races, as illustrated by TIME'S continuing series on the congressional contests.

The Gary and Mary Show

"You cannot label Gary Hart," boasts an ebullient supporter of the Democratic Senator from Colorado. Indeed, Hart first achieved national prominence as the manager of George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign. But then Hart won election to the Senate in 1974, with 59% of the vote, and quickly established himself as neither liberal nor conservative on key issues. For instance, he favors increasing the Pentagon budget, especially for more small ships and more fighter-bombers that can operate from small airfields. He also backs nuclear plants, though he thinks that atomic power will eventually be abandoned as too expensive. In a normal political year, Hart would be a clear favorite for reelection.

But Colorado voters this year are leaning heavily toward Ronald Reagan, and the Senator's Republican opponent is no ordinary politician. At 22, Mary Estill Buchanan was widowed, gave birth to her second child and graduated from Wellesley College, all within twelve months. The petite Buchanan (5 ft. 2 in.) went on to Harvard Business School (M.B.A. '62), a career as a labor-management consultant, a second marriage and four more children before her divorce in 1976.

After serving on several state advisory boards, she was elected Colorado's secretary of state in 1974 and four years later was re-elected by a record 522,000 votes. This year at 45, she set her sights on Hart's seat and beat Runner-Up Howard ("Bo") Callaway, the former Georgia Congressman and Secretary of the Army, who owns an elegant ski resort in Crested Butte, Colo., by 1,603 votes for the Republican nomination.

Since then, Buchanan has hit Hart hard for supporting the Panama Canal Treaties and for backing Jimmy Carter in 80% of his Senate votes. Says she: "He votes one way and talks another when he is back here. He is a liberal, McGovernite carpetbagger." Hart retorts that Buchanan's charges reflect her narrow viewpoint and insists that his campaign will rise above partisanship. Says he: "I will not ignore her. We will interact and debate, but I am going to run a campaign for the 1980s. What is her plan for the environment? For national defense? For the economy? It took me a year or so to formulate my ideas."

While Buchanan is scrambling to raise a modest war chest of $200,000. Hart has had no trouble collecting $600,000 for his campaign. Says he: "I don't feel vulnerable at all."

An East-West Game