Group Still Fighting To House Homeless Aids Patients

Poisoning Death 
Police Still 
Seek Break 
To Crack Case 
****************** 
File Photo 
Robert Curley

Thursday, November 12, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9C QUICK WORDS: YEAKEL 





Yeakel eyes future with confidence &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 _______________________________ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One of the wonderful aspects of having it over is that I have my life back.
I &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 did not have control over my life for this whole year, so now I can decide
what I want to do. I feel very free, free and yet ... obligated to the futureI
can guarantee you, I'm not going away. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lynn Yeakel &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lost recent Senate race &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ________________________________ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By ANNE McGRAW &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Associated Press Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Lynn Yeakel says she's tired of hearing endless
analyses of why she lost her race for U.S. Senate. She'd rather talk about how
she almost won. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't think it's useful to say `what if, what if?' The odds of my
winning were so long from the beginning," Yeakel said in an interview. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If you look at what happened from the point of view of where we started
and where we ended up, it's almost unbelievable ... it's just incredible that
we did what we did, which is we nearly won." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Republican incumbent Arlen Specter won a third term, beating Yeakel by a
49-46 percent margin on Nov. 3. Libertarian candidate John Perry had 5
percent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One week after the election, Yeakel appeared confident, relaxed and
energized -- almost as if she'd won against Specter rather than lost. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Her phone hasn't stopped ringing with job offers and suggestions for what
to do next, she said. Supporters have flooded her mailbox with letters of
congratulations and thanks, and her home "looks like a funeral parlor" from
all the flowers. She's also been offered numerous speaking engagements. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "One of the wonderful aspects of having it over is that I have my life
back," Yeakel said with a smile. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I did not have control over my life for this whole year, so now I can
decide what I want to do. I feel very free, free and yet ... obligated to the
future. I can guarantee you, I'm not going away." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Her base of operations is a small office on the 35th floor of a downtown
high rise, "the Ed Rendell Memorial Room" which the Philadelphia mayor also
used during his campaign. Books with titles like "Hardball for Women,"
"Capitol Games," and "A Question of Choice," fill the shelves. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yeakel is coy about her future, saying only her immediate priorities were a
three-day stint at a spa, an appearance on the "Larry King Live" show and a
lecture at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Going back to her job as head of a non-profit organization is out of the
question, she said. She's looking forward, not backward. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A position in the Clinton administration? Haven't been called yet, she
said. Aspirations for the governor's office in 1994? A lot of people have
suggested that, Yeakel said, but she's really not interested at this point. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I just think that I'll know when the right thing comes along. I mean like
with this race, I wasn't looking to do this," Yeakel said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I just knew it was the right thing to do ... I think I'll know when the
next step presents itself," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The campaign trail is a cruel teacher, Yeakel said, and she realized early
that Specter was an astute student. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The newcomer learned some painful lessons that she said she isn't likely to
repeat. Seemingly little events can hurt a campaign, like mispronouncing the
name of a county, fumbling for an answer, or holding a news conference based
on bad information. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If I run again, it will be a clean slate. I will be much smarter, no
question about that, and I'll definitely be tougher," Yeakel said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She said she was also shocked at some of Specter's tactics, especially
trying to link her to statements made by some members of her church that were
labeled anti-Semitic. In retrospect, she should have responded to those
statements faster and more aggressively, Yeakel said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yeakel said she's not blaming anyone or anything for her loss. It was a
combination of things, including her inexperience and that of her staff. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the main factor, she said, was the power of the incumbency -- the huge
war chest accumulated by her opponent over six years, the 100 percent name
recognition from decades of politics and the ability to drop off
federal-funding checks at just the right time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was up against the most powerful entrenched incumbent in the country,
with the possible exception of George Bush," Yeakel said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yeakel said she was also disappointed with the lack of support by some
members of her own party. Because she was an outsider who won a primary
against the party-backed candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Singel, the reception was
not always warm. People said they would support her but didn't, she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't know what more I could have done. I called everyone, I met with
everyone, I went to as many dinners as I could go to. I tried to be all things
to all people, but at the same time recognizing that I had to go beyond the
party because it was a different type of campaign," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Definite priorities in her continuing crusade for change are campaign
finance reform and making the process more accessible to average citizens,
Yeakel said. When 90 percent of incumbents win re-election in a year when
voters were calling for change, something's wrong, she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I did not have a fair fight. There was nothing fair about it," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't think that's what the founding fathers of this country had in
mind. This is not what the democratic process is supposed to be about when it
is almost impossible for a challenger to unseat an incumbent." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The wife, mother of two grown children and former businesswoman said she
doesn't regret putting her life on hold for almost a year to run for the
Senate. Her campaign energized average citizens, inspired women and put
incumbents all over the country on notice, she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Advice for other novices who want to take on the system? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Do it," Yeakel said.

Yeakel Eyes Future With Confidence 
_______________________________ 
One Of The Wonderful Aspects Of Having It Over Is That I Have My Life Back. I 
Did Not Have Control Over My Life For This Whole Year, So Now I Can Decide 
What I Want To Do. I Feel Very Free, Free And Yet ... Obligated To The Future.

Yeakel Eyes Future With Confidence _______________________________ One Of The Wonderful Aspects Of Having It Over Is That I Have My Life Back. I Did Not Have Control Over My Life For This Whole Year, So Now I Can Decide What I Want To Do. I Feel Very Free, Free And Yet ... Obligated To The Future.