Specter pushes past foe

and ALISSA KAYE Bi-partisan supporters at the Bellevue Hotel last night, many clad in patriotic red, white and blue, didn't know what to 'spect during the four tense hours that voter returns were counted. But just before midnight, their candidate Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) was declared, by a narrow margin, successful in his re-election bid for U.S. Senate. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Specter captured 51 percent of the popular vote, and Yeakel won 49 percent. A subdued, anxious crowd of several hundred, including University students and alumni, turned its attention at 12:15 a.m. from chain-smoking by corner television screens to a stage decorated with patriotic streamers and Specter endorsement posters. Supporters -- racially, religiously, ethnically and partisanly diverse -- shouted "Ar-len" and "Six more years" over a band's rendition of "Stars and Stripes Forever." Specter won a senatorial race which, for the past few weeks, had been considered a statistical dead-heat between the 12-year incumbent and political newcomer Lynn Yeakel. The race was characterized by personal attacks and negative advertisements. According to many at the Center City victory party last night, Yeakel presented a threat to Specter because she ran in an election year geared away from incumbents and towards women and political change. "Being an incumbent and a Republican [has been] a detriment [to Specter]," College sophomore Whitney Pickering said. In addition, many said Yeakel coattailed Democratic president-elect Bill Clinton whenever he came to Pennsylvania. "She attached herself to Bill Clinton," said Susan Lamontagne, a Specter staffer. But his supporters said Specter was most appealing because he focused his campaign on issues, while Yeakel based her candidacy on the fact that she is a woman. "I care about a strong U.S.-Israel relationship," said Morton Klein, president of the American Zionist Federation. "Specter has proven himself." Earlier this year, Klein published a guest column in The Philadelphia Inquirer which accused Yeakel of belonging to a Bryn Mawr church which holds discriminatory views against many minorities. Some women last night said they would not vote for a political candidate simply because she is a woman. "[Yeakel] offended me when she said to vote for her because she's a woman," said Temple University senior and Specter volunteer Ruth Eichmiller. "Specter is running on his record." University students agreed last night that Specter was more interested in the issues than Yeakel. "Specter has a clear understanding of what this country needs," College freshman and Pennsylvania native Eric Krangel said in between glasses of complimentary white wine. "He has done a lot for Pennsylvania." Krangel went to last night's reception with about 25 other members of the University's College Republicans chapter. "We need a liberal Republican," said College Republicans Chairperson Dana Lynch. "[And Specter] ran on all the issues." Others echoed Lynch's beliefs. "I like the fact that [Specter] supports conservative economic issues but is fairly liberal on other [issues] like abortion," said College junior Greg Gloe. "He is more mainstream than Lynn Yeakel." "He has experience with actual rank in the Senate," Gloe continued. Many buttons worn last night highlighted the fact that women still support the senator, despite the negative press he received for his role in the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill Supreme Court hearings last year. One Chester County-based volunteer wore a red heart-shaped button which read: "This woman is for Senator Specter '92." "This [pin] was designed by a woman to show there are an awful lot of women who are supporting Arlen," said Marilyn Baker, who also worked on Specter's last senatorial campaign. "He's been there for everyone, as a senator should be." Covered in multi-colored confetti, Specter made his way to the stage through the jubilant crowd to give his victory speech. College senior Keith Munera said, "[Though] we lost the big one, this is what it's all about." "Specter's record really supports Specter, not one issue," Munera added. The senator shared the stage with his wife, Philadelphia City Councilwoman Joan Specter, their children and campaign leaders. Specter's three-minute speech thanked members of labor unions and the black community for making his victory possible and noted the importance of this election year. "America came of age in 1992," he said. "Lynn's candidacy has been . . . a learning experience for me and perhaps a learning experience for America." As Specter ended his speech and turned from the podium, the band began to play Kool and the Gang's "Celebration."