Senators: North Carolina, Minnesota

No election would be complete without at least one surprise winner who zooms in from left field to capture high office. This time that distinction belongs to Paul Wellstone, a political-science professor from Carleton College, who last week became the only challenger to oust an incumbent Senator. His victim, Republican Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota, had seemed assured of a third term. "They just outhustled us," Boschwitz said by way of concession.

Well, yes, but that was only part of the upset's anatomy. Wellstone, 46, is a veteran political organizer for liberal causes. In 1983 he was arrested for trespassing while participating in a farmers' protest, and he served as a state coordinator for Jesse Jackson's 1988 campaign. With an election budget only one-seventh the size of Boschwitz's war chest, Wellstone substituted wit and energy for heavy advertising. In one TV spot he raced through several issues in 30 seconds, explaining, "I don't have $6 million to spend, so I'm going to have to talk fast." His resume and tactics, if not his proposals for big new government programs, fit well with Minnesota's particularly strong anti-incumbent mood.

Boschwitz, made complacent by polls giving him a 15-point lead in September, initially waged a smug campaign. Then he was sucked into a controversy over his party's initial gubernatorial candidate, Jon Grunseth, who was eventually forced to quit the race because of allegations of sexual misconduct. Boschwitz came across as feckless during that ugly dispute. As his lead slipped, his camp committed what political analyst D.J. Leary called "one of the most incredible political blunders I've ever seen in 30 years." The Senator's supporters circulated a letter among Jewish voters accusing Wellstone of weak commitment to his religion: "His children were brought up as non-Jews." Boschwitz has always been active in Jewish community affairs.

This crude tactic affronted voters of all faiths. It also drowned out Boschwitz's attack on Wellstone's expensive proposals for a national health- care scheme and other ambitious programs. The result was a 51%-49% vote for the outsider destined to star in the Senate's left wing. Says Wellstone's campaign manager, Sam Kaplan: "He'll be in Jesse Helms' face all the time."