Mixed Bag For Women Candidates

Former Republican presidential candidate Elizabeth Dole became the first female senator from North Carolina as women tried to add to their numbers in Congress and in governors' offices with a few key races.

Dole, wife of former Sen. Bob Dole, easily beat former President Clinton's former chief of staff Erskine Bowles to succeed another Republican, Jesse Helms, who retired.

Another well-known Republican female, Katherine Harris, won a Florida House seat by defeating Democrat Jan Schneider, a friend of Mr. Clinton. The former secretary of state presided over Florida's disputed vote count in the 2000 presidential campaign.

Two Democratic women, Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas and Jennifer Granholm in Michigan, won their governor's races. Democratic women lost their bids for governor in Maryland, Massachusetts, Arkansas and Rhode Island.

Three of the 11 women running for Senate were seeking re-election. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, kept her seat. Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan of Missouri lost a tight race against Republican Jim Talent, and Mary Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, fell short of the 50 percent of the vote she needed to avoid a runoff.

Of the 160 women running for the House of Representatives, 56 are incumbents. Women now make up 37 percent of the House; of the 60 presently serving, 42 are Democrats and 18 are Republicans.

Early returns showed Democratic women losing three seats and Republicans gaining three in the House.

Ten women ran against each other for Congress, two women faced off in Hawaii's governor's race and two women challenged incumbent women senators.