1.   No wonder, then, that so many candidates are competing to fill the vacancy in DeKalb.

2.   The candidates are competing for television exposure.

3.   Although six candidates are competing, the race has shaped into a showdown between Labastida and Fox.

4.   But last week, to general surprise, Mubarak decreed that candidates will compete as individuals and not on a party slate.

5.   Candidates are competing even harder in New Hampshire, which is the first major contest where no contender has a particular geographic advantage.

6.   Even as the Republican presidential candidates are competing to assert their credentials as opponents of abortion, Gore and Bradley are arguing their records as defenders of abortion rights.

7.   Four strong candidates are competing for best direction of a play.

8.   In a sprawling state like California with immense media markets, a candidate cannot compete without millions of dollars.

9.   In South Carolina, job candidates compete on a point system that rewards mariners with the top experience, education and test scores.

10.   Many of those Republican gains came when longtime Democratic incumbents like Mr. Bevill retired, and Republican candidates could compete on a level playing field.