Wednesday, november8, 1978
page 6
daily nebraskan
Election campaigners toast winners, losers at parties
By Mary Jo Howe
Throngs of sweaty, suited, campaign
sticker-tattoed bodies crowded into five
smoke-filled party rooms across Lincoln
Tuesday night cheering and supporting
their candidates to the last ballot count.
That politician flash-white smile and
firm handshake was evident everywhere.
And not just from the stars of the evening.
Everybody seems to want to be a politi
cian on election nights. With all the hardy
backslaps, "We did it" clutched hands, it's
hard to tell who the true office seeker is.
Then you see a face you've seen a thou
sand times in the past six months, beaming
from billboards, newspaper ads and
bumper stickers. It has that little some
thing, the comfortable familiarity that
makes it stand out in the sea of faces
crowding up to shake hands with "the
man."
Party flavor
Each party had its own flavor, seasoned
by a winning or losing candidate, the age
group of the supporters and the variety of
refreshments, ranging from "free bar" to
champagne.
Donkey-bearing campaign workers and
friends crowded into the Knolls Country
Club to await results on the Whelan, Dyas
and Wesley races.
They had reasons to rejoice.
Although there was a mixture of
celebration and disappointment over the
Democratic races, at least one woman was
enthusiastic about the election results.
Former Lancaster County Democratic
chairman Yvonne Hardesty, dressed
in a red, white and blue smock dotted with
"vote" and starred donkeys and elephants,
said she was "nervously, nervously" await
ing the results.
Win some, lose some
"Some of the good guys will win and
some of the good guys will lose," she
said philosophically, adding that she
thinks there were "more super candidates
than (the Democrats) have had in any
election."
"It was an A-l, Class A election cam
paign." she said.
By far Hardesty's most striking feature
was her golfer's hat, sporting buttons rang
ing from "Vote for Dyas" to a rhinestone
studded donkey pin. Hardesty said she has
a collection of hats just like it from pre
vious elections.
"I always get a hat for election time,'
she said.
Few supporters would give up hope in
the Whelan and Dyas campaigns until all
votes were in and apprehensively stuck
close to the numerous television screens
around the room.
"At least Democrats are more fun tc
party with even when they're losing," saic
one UNL grad student.
No post-mortem
As of one o'clock, Shasteen was stil noi
ready to do a post-mortem on his campaigr
which had been declared a lost one by both
the UPI and AP news serivces.
About 50 persons in the Clayton Hous
banquet room, however, had no problem;
executing post-mortems on the expensive
layout of food and two kinds ol
champagne. There was little to do but eal
and discuss the other races. The mood was
formal, sophisticated, reserved. And mosl
of the partiers were later seen making the
rounds of the other parties.
One young campaign worker, Willie
Watters, a junior political science and pre
law student at UNL, remained positive as
Shasteen. He enthusiastically pointed out
how Shasteen had made the best effort to
meet Nebraskans by jogging across the
street and emphasized that the polls are
extremely inaccurate.
Western results
"Just wait until the western part of the
state comes in," added Lorraine Orr, co
campaign chairperson for the Shasteen
campaign. "These results are premature.
The largest part of the state in the west is
Republican. There are good Republicans
out there."
Orr was beginning to feel the effects of
the long campaign however.
"I drove 230 miles to get here yester
day morning (Friday)," she said. Then
drove back home (North Platte) last night,
just so I could vote this morning.
And some people won't even cross the
street to vote!"
Switching from Shasteens' headquarters
to the Hilton pavilion, headquarters for
Nebraska's new governor. Charlie Thone,
was practically a culture shock.
Over 500 people, mingling with friends,
drinking, nibbling cheese and crackers, and
pushing through the impromptu receiv
ing line to greet the man of the hour; gave
the party a national convention-like
quality.
Brightly lit, red, white and blue balloons
and streamers, and three active bars kept
the people partying. Supporters of all ages
joined the group most dressed in formal
evening wear seemed confident and happy
throughout the night. Although Thone
didn't accept the nomination until late in
the evening, he daughter Amy, 14,
practically accepted it for him when she
said she was looking forward to living in
the governor's mansion.
Thone feels good
Thone said he was feeling good, and
people kept pouring into the room.
Exon's party too, at the American
Legion Club, was a confident, and jubilant
celebration. Supporters there didn't have
long to wait for their man to be declared
the winner of the U.S. senatorial race and
happy cheers greeted Exon's acceptance
speech.
Once the apprehension was over,
thoughts turned to other issues, like how
thick the state patrol was on the road from
Omaha to Lincoln, and the defeat of the
lid bill.
"I'm just so happy, I can't even tell
you," bubbled Candy Exon, 20-year-old
UNL student and daughter of the new
senator.
"I'm getting married soon so I
won't be going to Washington, but it will
be fun to visit there," she said.
Candy worked on the youth campaign
for Exon.
Join the re-election team Congressman
Bereuter in '80, proclaimed the new
stickers given out at the Bereuter headquar
ters on top of the NBC bank building.
Young people were more evident here
than at the other parties, probably due
more to the wide-campus support
rather than the rumors of a "free bar."
But even dyed-in-the-wool Democrats were
mingling at this party as the night wore
on the tight race eventually pointed to
Bereuter.
"We were always confident," said Bill
Mueller, UNL law student and former
ASUN president, "but now the party is just
starting to roll."
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Daily Nebraskan photo
A dazed and dejected Shasteen supporter watches the campaign results come in Tuesday night. Gov. J. James Exon defeated Don
Shasteen for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Carl Curtis.
Beutler, Landis, Wesely win election
By Barb Richardson
David Landis, Chris Beutler, and Don
Wesley were the winning candidates in
Lincoln's legislative districts Tuesday.
Final vote tabulation of the Lincoln
legislative races on KETV showed Don
Wesley 5,337 over Tom Novak with 3,646
in the 46th district. In the 26th district
David Landis defeated JoAnn Maxey 2,775
to 2,035. And in the 28th district Chris
Beutler was the winner over Marge Schlitt
with 5 119 to 4,1 27 votes.
Commenting earlier in the evening, 46th
district candidate Wesley said that he
expected to win but with a tight race.
Twenty-four-year-old Wesley said that
the only people that questioned his age and
qualifications during the campaign were
young people. "I also had problems with
50 and 40-year-olds who didn't believe that
I was qualified but, overall I was generally
accepted as a candidate," Wesley said.
Wesley commented that he had exper
ienced political problems with his
opponent Tom Novak.
"Novak changed his position on a
questionnaire to the Catholic Conference
that said he was pro-life when a month ago
in two questionnaires he said that he was
pro-choice," Wesley said.
He added that on Friday, Novak sent
out a letter to the voters that indicated
that Wesley said he has lived in the 46th
district for 20 years.
"I was also disappointed in my
opponent because he would not agree to
any debates or public appearances," Wesley
added.
Landis, 26th district victor, said "This is
the end of about nine months of a
phenomenon unlike anything I have exper
ienced before."
Landis, who beat incumbent State
Senator JoAnn Maxey, said that he is
pleased that he won and that he wants to
get his life going in a normal fashion again .
"During my campaign I could sense,
while talking to voters, that my opponent
was very popular and well respected,"
Landis said.
Student control over student fees, a
right of privacy statute, and repulsion of
the state tax on food are goals of Landis
during the next four years as Senator.
Chris Beutler, winner in the 28th
district, said, "althouth I am very happy
tonight about winning, I have a great deal
of sympathy for Marge Schlitt.
He added that he had great respect for
Marge and that she was a good opponent.
Learning the legislative process and
issues of Nebraska's Legislature, developing
a fair tax assessment procedure, and
developing a comprehensive state water
plan are Beutler's goals after assuming his
position as State Senator.
jj hotline V
11 2-3555 J