51.   Most voters brushed off the candidacies of the four other Republican contenders.

52.   Most surveys show him heavily trailing Bush as well as the other Republican contenders.

53.   None of the other Republican contenders gave much attention to the Dakotas.

54.   Nonetheless, Republican presidential contenders quickly jumped into the fray.

55.   No Republican contender comes within a mile of him.

56.   No other Republican contender was in double digits.

57.   On Thursday, Bradley held a high-profile town meeting with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a Republican presidential contender, to urge tighter campaign finance laws.

58.   On Tuesday, the Senate decisively rejected a tax cut plan sponsored by the Republican presidential contender, Phil Gramm of Texas.

59.   Other Republican contenders decided to bypass the state altogether.

60.   Other Republican presidential contenders have struck more combative, ideologically charged notes in their announcement speeches.