21.   After months of often negative campaigning, millionaire businessman Bill Simon Jr. found himself on top of the California political world with his fellow Republicans united behind him.

22.   Both propelled Congress to unite behind a controversial president.

23.   But his entry into the race was seen as a possible boon to the Republican Mayor, complicating efforts among Democrats to unite behind an electable alternative to Giuliani.

24.   But he expressed the hope that the parties favoring economic reform would unite behind a common candidate for the Russian presidential elections next June.

25.   But in a year in which Democrats have been unusually united behind their incumbent president, Clinton had much more to worry about from conservatives on his right.

26.   But now a broad, bipartisan coalition of federal and state political leaders is uniting behind an effort to find and punish the arsonists and rebuild the churches.

27.   But since they have only a six-vote majority in the House, they have found it difficult to unite behind a single spending blueprint.

28.   But the delay is also due to the inability of the sugar industry to unite behind a proposal the House will find acceptable, observers say.

29.   But she declined to say whether the GOP could unite behind Buchanan, who has strong right-wing support but is considered an extremist by many Republican moderates.

30.   But the Democrats never united behind a plan of their own and could not force a confrontation.