1.  California is a big state with a large population.

2.  In water quality and air quality, Texas has the worst record of any big state.

3.  As governors of big states, Wilson and the others were in touch with a reality that often escapes Beltway Republicans.

4.  At the beginning of the campaign, most observers were awarding the big states of California and New York to Gore, and Texas and Florida to Bush.

5.  At the moment, McCain is the underdog in each of the four big states.

6.  Beginning Friday, the advertisements are scheduled to run repeatedly in markets across the country, including big states like California, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.

7.  -- Alaska is a big state of little towns and few cities.

8.  A drop in consumer prices in big German states pointed to slowing inflation nationwide and revived hopes of an interest-rate cut by the Bundesbank.

9.  A really big state?

10.  Adding to the freneticism, some big individual states, like California, have also joined the scramble.