Re-Elected Leaders

Four years ago TIME compiled a portfolio of 200 Americans under 45 who seemed destined to be national leaders (TIME, July 15, 1974). They included educators, businessmen, lawyers, scientists and a number of men and women who had embarked upon--or were about to begin --political careers. In this month's election, 22 of them ran for high public office and all but three of them won.

Democrats Sam Nunn of Georgia, J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana, Joseph Biden of Delaware, and Republican Pete Domenici of New Mexico were re-elected to the U.S. Senate. They were joined there by Republican William Cohen of Maine and Democrat Bill Bradley of New Jersey.

Re-elected to the House were Democrats Les Aspin of Wisconsin, Ronald Dellums of California, Elizabeth Holtzman and Charles Rangel of New York and Patricia Schroeder of Colorado, along with Republicans Jack Kemp of New York, Tom Railsback of Illinois and William Steiger of Wisconsin. Minnesota Democrat Martin Sabo was elected to the House.

Democratic Governors Jerry Brown of California and Dick Lamm of Colorado were reelected, as were Republicans Robert Ray of Iowa and James Thompson of Illinois.

A few of TIME'S young leaders left office. Two Democrats retired: Senator James Abourezk of South Dakota and Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas. Democratic Governors Jerry Apodaca of New Mexico and Reubin Askew of Florida were ineligible to run for second terms. Democratic Governor Richard Kneip of South Dakota resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to Singapore.

Only three of TIME'S young leaders ran for office and lost: Democrat Dick Clark, who sought re-election to the Senate from Iowa; Democrat Andrew Miller, in the Senate race in Virginia; and Democrat Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, in the race for California attorney general. The fact that only three were defeated may be a sign that leadership is regaining a stability that has seemed to be missing in the years since Richard Nixon's resignation.

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