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Montana. On the theory that most of the 44,000 Democrats who voted for Burton K. Wheeler in the primary would now go Republican, the G.O.P. thought it had a fair chance to win with Zales N. Ecton, a rancher whose chief appeal is "free enterprise." To almost all others it looked as if Ecton had only a slim hope of beating labor-backed Democrat Leif Erickson.
Wyoming. Two traditions are strong in this state: 1) independence in voting, 2) senatorial persistence in office. But across the land there is another sentiment —throw out the ins—and that worries Democratic Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney. Harry Henderson, a popular campaigner, is counting on cattlemen's hatred of price controls to turn them to his Republican side. In the lead now: Joe O'Mahoney.
Nevada. Republican George W. Malone does much of his campaign touring by airplane, drops in on wool ranchers. The ranchers like him and they hate the OPA. But Representative Berkeley Lloyd Bunker rides Senator Pat McCarran's Democratic machine and is strong in the cities. Dopesters' odds: 8-to-5 on Berkeley Bunker.
* * *
In short, as of last week, the G.O.P. was far from sure of taking the Senate. But if labor and leftists, sulked, if the vote were light, and if voters generally took out their disgust with Harry Truman on Democratic candidates, then the G.O.P. could be a shoo-in.
* Line-up in the 79th Congress: 56 Democratic Senators, 39 Republicans, 1 Progressive (Robert M. La Follette, who was eliminated in Wisconsin's primary). Need to control: 49.