51.   A decade ago, the leading candidates to be contracted were Cleveland and Seattle.

52.   A Bush transition spokeswoman declined to discuss any individual candidates, but former Sen. Dan Coates of Indiana has been considered the leading candidate for secretary of defense.

53.   A Buffalo radio station reported UCLA offensive coordinator Al Borges is the leading candidate for that post with the Bills.

54.   A leading candidate is Gordon Wilson, provincial finance minister.

55.   A former assistant at Long Beach State and head coach at L.A. City College, Rousey would be a leading candidate to replace Batesole.

56.   A leading candidate to be secretary of the Navy, for example, is Roger Staubach, the former star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

57.   A leading candidate for the Cabinet post is Eloise Anderson, a former social services director in Wisconsin and California.

58.   A month later the leading candidate, Graham Spanier, chancellor of the University of Nebraska, turned down the job to become president of Pennsylvania State University.

59.   A majority requirement likely would entail a runoff between two leading candidates, which Zhirinovsky probably could not win.

60.   A lobbyist for the hospital industry has emerged as the leading candidate to run Medicare and Medicaid, Bush administration officials say.