United States Congressional Elections

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.

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%.

The nation's two political parties are winding up the 1990 election campaign in a role reversal that provides Democrats with a potentially significant advantage in Tuesday's balloting. On the eve of decision day, the normally fragmented and defensive Democrats seem notably united and aggressive behind their newly revived campaign theme calling for increased economic fairness.

With his popularity in national polls dropping below 50% for the first time and a major election only a week away, this is the dilemma President Bush faces: 1990 is shaping up as the year of the outsider and he is the ultimate insider. In recent days, Bush has tried to grab for an outsider's image. On Friday, for example, he endorsed measures to limit the terms of legislators and claimed that the budget deal painstakingly negotiated by his aides made him "gag."

Top White House officials Sunday sought to blame Democrats for increased taxes included in the budget agreement just passed by Congress, but Democratic officials predicted that fallout from the deficit package would help them make strong gains in the upcoming election.