American Notes the Senate

The Republican majority in the Senate now stands at a slender 53-47, and the chances of its surviving the 1986 elections decrease each time a G.O.P. member announces plans to retire. Those who have done so: Arizona's Barry Goldwater, Nevada's Paul Laxalt and North Carolina's ailing John East. Last week Maryland's Charles ("Mac") Mathias Jr. said he too would not run. One of the last liberal Republicans in high office, Mathias, 63, was elected to the House in 1960, then won his Senate seat in 1968. As a drafter of many key civil rights laws, he was proudest of his role in that "peaceful revolution." For years he exemplified the style, balance and intellect that were once characteristic of the proud upper chamber. Yet when his own party came to power under Ronald Reagan, he found himself at odds with the G.O.P. right. Mathias was the only Republican in the Senate to vote against Reagan's 1981 tax bill. )

Maryland Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 1, and to many observers, Mathias' retirement means that his seat could be won by a Democrat, perhaps Governor Harry Hughes. One possibility as a G.O.P. contender: former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick.