The New York Voter.

New York State is the home of the hottest Senatorial contest in the nation. U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato, who won by just 80,000 votes in 1992, is facing a strong challenge from Congressman Charles Schumer and the race is dominating politics and the television airwaves in the Empire State. The voters in New York State are split into three distinct parts: New York City, which accounts for about 27 percent of the vote; the suburbs surrounding the city, which make up 28 percent of the total vote; and upstate, which accounts for 45 percent.

Campaigning in New York therefore requires an enormous amount of physical stamina since candidates must look for votes over a huge area, traveling from Buffalo in western New York to the Hamptons on Long Island. Furthermore, with more than five distinct television markets in New York State, campaigning in New York requires lots of money for buys in different media markets. The candidates will spend more than $30 million by Election Day.

The women's vote may be decisive on Election Day. Although Schumer is pro-choice and supported by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), D'Amato is making a strong ptich for the female vote. He has emerged as a leading advocate for breast cancer research and has also proposed that HMO's be required to cover the cost of breast reconstruction, putting him in conflict with most of his fellow Republican senators. D'Amato, who is also running as a nominee of the Right To Life Party, may have found a way for the Republican Party to transcend its anti-abortion ideology by embracing breast cancer research and treatment. In fact, the New York Senatorial race could provide an indicator that mammograms are transcending aboriton rights for voting age women.

D'Amato and Schumer are also battling hard for the Jewish vote, which accounts for about 15 percent of the state total. Despite the fact that Schumer is Jewish and has been a strong supporter of Israel, D'Amato has raised questions about Schumer's failure to support the Gulf War Resolution. Most recently, D'Amato use of a Yiddish term, "putzhead," to describe Schumer has highlighted the ethnic and personal flavor of the debate in this Senatorial contest.

-- Mitchell L. Moss, Online NewsHour