
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994                   TAG: 9404280219
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Medium

6TH DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ANNOUNCES HE'LL LEAVE

Sen. David Boren of Oklahoma on Wednesday became the sixth Democrat to announce plans to leave the Senate this year, boosting Republicans' prospects for significant electoral gains that could threaten President Clinton's already-tenuous hold on the Senate.

Boren, a conservative Democrat who broke with Clinton on fiscal policy but supported him on many other issues, said he will resign from Congress when its current session is over, probably in early October, to become president of the University of Oklahoma.

A special election will be called sometime after the November general election to fill Boren's seat for the remaining two years of his term, and the race is considered likely to be highly competitive.

With the usual midterm election difficulties for the party in power, the large number of retirements and the vulnerability of incumbents in states such as Virginia and New Jersey, it is theoretically possible for Republicans to pick up the seven seats they need to recapture control of the Senate.

Democrats control the Senate by a margin of 56 to 44, with Vice President Al Gore breaking a tie in favor of his party, and at least a half-dozen races for seats held by Democrats are regarded as up for grabs.

But nearly all the close races would have to break the GOP's way for the party to take over the Senate.

The early closeness of many races stems less from inherent Democratic weaknesses than from the retirement of proven vote-getters in swing states, such as George Mitchell in Maine, Howard Metzenbaum in Ohio, Donald Riegle in Michigan, Dennis DeConcini in Arizona and Boren in Oklahoma. In the sixth open and seemingly close race for a Democrat-held seat, Sen. Harlan Mathews of Tennessee, appointed to succeed Gore, is not seeking election.

However, while only three Republican senators are retiring, the party faces a tough fight to retain the seat being vacated by Dave Durenberger of Minnesota and lost its prohibitive advantage in the race to succeed Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming when Mike Sullivan, the state's popular Democratic governor, declared his candidacy. Democrats have a chance, but a slimmer one, to succeed John Danforth, R-Mo.

\ Dropping Like Flies

Senators who have said they will retire this year

\ DEMOCRATS: David Boren of Oklahoma, Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, Harlan Mathews of Tennessee, Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, George Mitchell of Maine, Donald Riegle of Michigan . REPUBLICANS: John Danforth of Missouri, David

Durenberger of Minnesota, Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming.

by CNB