Old Guard vs. New in Michigan

The dean of the United States House of Representatives is surveying his new domain. Following a nasty bout of Republican mischief at the redistricting drawing board, John Dingell has been forced back onto the campaign trail after several decades without serious competition. So here he is on a 95-degree Fourth of July morning, sweating a bit after walking Ypsilanti, Michigan's two-mile-long parade route. Now Dingell, 76, who came to Congress midway through Dwight Eisenhower's first term as President, is watching the parade go by, surrounded by white male aides in blue "Dingell for Congress" T-shirts.

Suddenly, Dingell detects a commotion and spies a red wave. Elderly women in sensible shoes, African-American activists, teenagers with dyed hair, beefy union men and local elected officials come marching up the street, all clad in flaming "Lynn Rivers--Congresswoman" T-shirts and chanting "August 6th--Vote for Lynn." As Dingell ponders the spectacle, a small woman in a red-and-white dress whirls past, zipping from one side of the street to another with a bucket of candy for the kids, dog biscuits for the pets and a fist pumping in the air as the crowd breaks into spontaneous applause. Lynn Rivers, 45, is moving so fast, shaking so many hands, hugging so many people that she does not notice the man she will face in a primary election that will cost one of them a seat in Congress. "I never liked running against other members," muses Dingell. "And I don't like primaries with other Democrats."

The smart money is still on Dingell as the August 6 primary approaches. But bets are starting to be hedged--especially as polls show Rivers narrowing Dingell's lead to the single digits. "There's a slow, growing recognition that Dingell could be in trouble here," says Washtenaw County Commissioner Larry Kestenbaum, one of the best political numbers crunchers in the region. "I think Lynn is going to win, but there are still people who won't dare say it. They can't imagine it; they've had a Dingell in Congress for almost a century."

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