United States Congressional Elections

A national citizen's panel ended a series of intense debates over campaign finance reform Tuesday with a surprising call for full government financing of congressional elections, something most politicians believe the public would never tolerate. Public financing is the centerpiece of a broad call for change issued by 140 private citizens, including 23 from Los Angeles, who were randomly chosen by the League of Women Voters to contemplate the state of U.S. election-financing laws.

A new breach is opening between President Clinton and many top House Democrats over what they see as his reluctance to throw his full weight behind efforts to retake control of their chamber in the fall elections. House Democrats, who were warmly praising Clinton for his stand in the budget fight only days ago, turned angry with him this week for suggesting that he can have only a limited benefit in campaigning to return them to office.

Following are edition-time results of state elections across the country Tuesday. The results have been compiled from Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters and the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service: ALABAMA MONTGOMERY--Democratic Sen. Howell Heflin, 69, the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, rolled over Republican challenger Bill Cabaniss to win a third term. With 86% of the precincts reporting, Heflin had 61% of the votes to Cabaniss' 39%.

Rep. E. Thomas Coleman (R-Mo.) could hardly contain himself as the latest town meeting in his district got under way. "I thought you'd be happy to know that I didn't bounce any checks," he declared before anyone had a chance to ask. "I didn't even have an account." No matter. Voters here are so upset that some are ready to roast him even if he was not one of the 300-plus lawmakers who ran up overdrafts on their House bank accounts.

For all the commotion over the presidential recounts in Florida, hand recounts in congressional races are hardly a rarity. Some lawmakers even wear them as a badge of honor. Consider Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate's top two Democrats.

Facing a surprisingly difficult fight to retain his seat in Congress, Rep. Eric D. Fingerhut (D-Ohio) recently exhorted his supporters to work even harder at convincing friends and family members to vote for him in the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Eugene Hasenfus, the American who was shot down over Nicaragua in a plane carrying supplies to U.S.-backed rebels, will go on trial Monday before a Sandinista revolutionary court, the Nicaraguan government announced Thursday. The specific charges against him were not announced, but the statement by the Nicaraguan Justice Ministry said prosecutors will list them when the trial begins before the three-judge panel. The United States has already denounced the tribunal as "a kangaroo court."