11.   A moderate Republican in the mold of former Sen. William Cohen, Ms. Collins had never held elected office before defeating Joseph Brennan.

12.   Abortion rights, the stepchild issue of campaigns past, became a stepping stone to elected office.

13.   Actually, Buchanan has never held an elected office either.

14.   Across the country, the number of women in elected office on the local and state level has been growing.

15.   Advocates for the Hispanic community expressed hope that proof of its size would lead to better representation in elected office.

16.   All it took for Putin, who has never held elected office, to win Russian hearts was one impassioned outburst.

17.   All top statewide elected offices were filled by Republicans.

18.   Brown has never run for elected office, and Houston is the largest U.S. city that has never chosen a member of an ethnic minority to be mayor.

19.   Brown said affirmative action gave her the opportunity to run for elected office in Florida as a black woman.

20.   Bratton, who has never held elected office, has not yet said whether he really will run.