Republicans Chief Worriers Some analysts think Mr. Perot's could gather enough of the anti-incumbent vote to hurt a Democratic challenger more than President Bush.

They note that Mr. Perot would divide the anti-incumbent vote with Mr. Dole.

"It just shows that with a lot of money, even an unknown can get good name recognition and tap the anti-incumbent vote."

Psephologists suggested that the youth vote helped anti-incumbency in a continent that rarely results in an anti-incumbent vote.

The state of the economy was also seen as a key factor for the anti-incumbent vote.

Many leading Republicans said they feared that Mr. Perot could split the anti-Clinton, anti-incumbent vote that Mr. Dole had counted on.

In a close race, Mr. Drazen, scion of a well-known Binghamton family who lost the Republican primary, could siphon anti-incumbent votes away from Ms. Wittig.

An anti-incumbent vote is one exercised against elected officials currently in power.

He was badly outspent in a three-way race, and split the anti-incumbent vote with Mr. Golisano.

"I think it's going to be an anti-Republican vote, not anti-incumbent," said Curtis Gans of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.