With the recent announcement that Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-NV) will not be seeking re-election, attention is now being turned to several decisions by a handful of people that will largely determine the terrain of next year's Senate battles. Re-election decisions by Senators East (R-N.C.), Hart (D-CO), Mathias (R-MD), Rudman (R-N.H.) and, despite statements (and fundraising) to the contrary, Garn (R-UT) will be watched with great anticipation.

In addition, decisions by a number of non-incumbents, chiefly Congressmen Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Jim Jones (D-OK), Dan Glickman (D-KS), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Dave Obey (D-WI), Jim Moody (D-WI) and Tom Kindness (R-OH) as well as former Governors Jim Hunt (D-N.C.) and Richard Snelling (R-VT) and Gov. Harry Hughes (D-MD), are also of critical importance.

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