Campaign Finance Reform: Signs of Life

WASHINGTON: After a Senate vote Tuesday, campaign finance reform is still a prisoner of Trent Lott and the Republican leadership, who remain unwilling to kill that gold-giving goose. But after keeping hope alive in a procedural vote with a 51-48 victory, supporters of the McCain-Feingold reform bill are crowing that the first battle has been won. "They can finally say that a majority is in favor of reform," says TIME congressional correspondent Jay Carney. "And now there's 48 Republicans with their votes on record that the issue can be used against."

That doesn't worry opponents overmuch, namely the GOP's Mitch McConnell, who has promised to filibuster the bill to death unless McCain can scare up eight more converts. "McConnell's always said that this issue has never decided an election," says Carney, "and indeed there's no evidence that the public really cares about it."

The real test of that won't be until November. "Barring a miracle, it's not going to happen this year," says Carney. "But Democratic challengers will be hammering away on the issue from the day they start campaigning. And in some states, it just might stick."