se initiatives are expected to pass (5). There are two other initiatives, however, that are extremely contentious and have drawn national attention. I-694 proposes to criminalize partial birth abortions and is being watched by, but thus far not financially supported by, interest groups on both sides of the issue from around the nation (6). I-200 proposes to end affirmative action in the state and the contingents supporting and opposing the initiative have also received backing from around the country (7).
In addition to the statewide races, the Washington Congressional district races are unusually contentious. In the 1994 national electoral sweep, Washington was a major coup for the Republicans as they captured six seats that had previously been Democratic (the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth - home of the then sitting House Speaker Tom Foley, and Ninth), in addition the Eighth, which rising Republican star Jennifer Dunn had first won in 1992 (8). In 1996, the Democrats managed to recapture only the Ninth district, and are hoping to reclaim several more before the Republicans can solidify their hold on these seats (9).
The remainder of this analysis will examine each of these three aspects of Washington State's Ballot '98. First, the abortion and affirmative action initiatives will be examined. Next, the U. S. Senate race will be analyzed. Finally, the outlook for the House of Representatives seats will be discussed.
Initiative 694 reads "shall the termination of a fetus' life during the process of birth be a felony crime except when necessary to prevent the pregnant women's death" (10)? The initiative concerns what has come to be known as "partial birth abortion" to abortion rights supporters and as "partial birth infanticide" to abortion foes. The procedure involves the normal delivery of a baby except for the head and shoulders. The doctor then inserts a needle into the base of the baby's skull and remove...