NEW FACES IN THE SENATE

(2 of 4)

On many national issues, Florida Senator-elect Bob Graham's positions can hardly be distinguished from those of Paula Hawkins, the incumbent Republican he beat 55% to 45% -- or for that matter from those of Ronald Reagan, who campaigned unavailingly against him. Democrat Graham, 50, who enters the Senate after eight years as Governor, supports the Strategic Defense Initiative and aid to the Nicaraguan contras, and he considers the Gramm- Rudman-Hollings Act a "necessary sledgehammer" to trim federal spending.

But national issues played little role in Graham's victory. A Harvard- trained lawyer, he won largely on the strength of his ebullient good-ole- boy personality and his unabashed state boosterism. "The future of America is Florida," he says. "If America deals with Florida's problems today, it is dealing with America's problems tomorrow." As Governor, Graham endeared himself to Floridians through his once-a-week "workdays," when he would leave his desk to get the feel of a nonpolitical job: schoolteacher, hospital orderly, flight attendant, migrant farmer, even one night on the stage in The Fantasticks. That gave him a chance to indulge a passion his new Senate colleagues should keep in mind: Graham will burst into song at the slightest provocation, or none. Journalists who heard him warble Margaritaville on election eve can testify that his baritone is notable more for enthusiasm than for melodiousness.

Cajun Campaigner

John Breaux of Louisiana touts himself as a "new type of Democrat." He voices strong concern for minorities, the environment and a balanced budget. But in one respect he is similar to a long line of Dixie Democrats: he is such a fan of the military that aides boast there is not a single major weapons system for which he did not vote money during his 14 years as a Congressman. Breaux, a smooth-talking, good-looking Cajun, is a campaigner of the old shoe- leather school. His election to replace retiring Democratic Senator Russell Long came after a 19-month drive during which he sometimes scheduled as many as a dozen events a day. Says the 42-year-old Breaux: "I love campaigning."

The son of an oil-field worker, Breaux entered politics as a staff aide to Edwin Edwards, now Governor, but took care to keep some distance from his scandal-tainted mentor during the campaign. One charge leveled by his Republican opponent, W. Henson Moore, whom Breaux overtook after trailing in Louisiana's open primary, was that he had one of the worst attendance records in Congress. Louisiana voters evidently paid little attention, giving Breaux a 53%-to-47% victory. They may have been more impressed by Breaux's reputation for brokering back-room deals and his straightforward promises to "put Louisiana first" as a Senator. In the House he did exactly that, successfully promoting legislation favorable to Louisiana's rice sales.

Prairie Boy