Nation: Percy's Problem

Alligators lying by the river

Illinois Republican Charles Percy never had any qualms about running for a third term in the Senate. Nor did he have any doubt that he would be reelected. Through the summer and fall Percy, 59, enjoyed a huge 20-point lead in the polls over his obscure Democratic rival, Alex Seith, 44, a Chicago lawyer who had never before run for office. Percy scheduled only three weeks of heavy campaigning just before the election and expected a landslide victory, perhaps bigger than his 2-to-l triumph in...

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