Democrats Are Apparent Victors In Key Races

Democrats swept the major contests in yesterday's off-year elections, just one year after an embarrassing loss in the presidential campaign.

David N. Dinkins won election as New York City's first Black mayor, while L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia clung to a slender lead over Republican J. Marshall Coleman in his bid to become the nation's first elected Black governor.

U.S. Rep. James Florio won the New Jersey governorship handily on his third try in another featured contest in a set of elections dominated by controversy over race and abortion.

President Bush campaigned for GOP candidates in Virginia, New Jersey and New York in an election season that served as prelude to 1990, when hotly contested congressional races will set the tone for national politics leading up to the next presidential election.

Democratic National Chair Ron Brown claimed victory for Wilder and Dinkins as well as Florio, and GOP chair Lee Atwater, saying that "all politics is local," did not dispute him.

Brown proclaimed a "great day for Democrats but an even better day for America." And he said, "We Democrats have taught ourselves a lot about working together and pulling for mainstream America."

But just as both parties watched the returns yesterday for signs of partisan success, so, too, was the election season marked by interest in abortion and race--with a heavy dose of negative campaign commercials thrown in.

Atwater said abortion "made a difference" for the pro-choice Democratic candidates in all three races, but insisted the results would have no bearing on the 1990 elections, when 34 Senate seats, 36 governorships and all 435 House seats will be on the ballot.

The Virginia contest focused on abortion asmuch as race, with Wilder emphasizing hispro-choice views in an attempt to downplay hisrace with the voters of the Southern state. Theissue seemed to spill over to the lieutenantgovernor's race, as well, as pro-choice DemocratDon Beyer defied the pre-election polls to score avictory.

With the votes counted in all but nine ofVirginia's 1967 precincts, Wilder, the grandson ofslaves, held a lead of just over 5500 votes in along count. The totals included absentee ballots.

In the sole congressional seat contestedyesterday, early returns from Texas put Houstoncity council member Anthony Hall and state Sen.Craig Washington far out front in an 11-way raceto succeed the late Rep. Mickey Leland. NeitherDemocrat was gaining 50 percent of the vote neededto avoid a runoff.

In other big-city elections, Miami's XavierSears coasted to victory for a third term andKathy Whitmire won for the fourth time in Houston.

Democrat John Daniels was elected mayor of NewHaven, becoming the first Black mayor of hismajority-white city. And Mayor Coleman Young ofDetroit, also Black, led in his bid for a fifthterm.

With 99 percent of the Virginia precinctscounted, Lt. Gov. Wilder had 880,955 votes or 50percent. His Republican rival, Coleman, had876,439 votes or 50 percent.

In Seattle, city council member Norm Riceappeared likely to edge opponent Doug Jewett inhis drive to serve as the city's first Black chiefexecutive.

Cleveland picked a new Black mayor, with stateSen. Michael R. White leading City CouncilPresident George Forbes in a particularly bitterrace. Forbes called his rival a "slumlord." Whitesaid his opponent was a "master of sleaze."

Ben Nichols, a socialist, was favored to winelection as mayor of Ithaca, N.Y.

And beyond the hard-fought local races,yesterday's elections raised several thorny ballotquestions for voters in several states.

Michigan decided the fate of two competingplans to raise the state sales tax for education,one calling for a half-penny increase and theother for a two-cent hike.

The Maine ballot included an advisory measureto ban cruise missile testing in the state, whileSan Francisco, in danger of losing its Giantsbaseball franchise, decided whether to build a new$115 million stadium to replace Candlestick Park