Covering politics is a labor of love and wear, reading and running for journalists. From the beginning of Campaign '74, TIME correspondents across the U.S. dogged candidates through conventions and primaries, motels, motorcades and living rooms all the way to the wassail and wakes at headquarters on election night. Meanwhile, editors in New York weighed their reports and 'sifted through poll results as they made the decisions for TIME'S election coverage.

This week's Nation section, a 14-page report on the election results, was actually outlined two weeks ago by Nation Senior Editor Jason McManus. Deputy Chief of Correspondents Benjamin W. Cate coordinated coverage with TIME'S domestic bureau chiefs. Once the returns were in on election night, bureaus from Boston to Los Angeles sent in nominations of the key senatorial and gubernatorial winners in their regions for TIME'S cover. By Friday morning, the editors had culled the final eight cover choices.

With the campaign over, correspondents had sharply etched memories of its familiar frenzy. For the New York Bureau's Don Sider, there was an intense last-day-of-campaign conversation with Gubernatorial Winner Hugh Carey, conducted--facing backward--from the bouncing jump seat of Carey's limousine. Sider fought down mounting car sickness and emerged in Queens with richly detailed notes on Carey's political philosophy. Boston Bureau Chief Sandra Burton recalls spending "several of the most exhausting days" of her career trailing tireless Ella Grasso, Connecticut Governor-elect. Now Burton found herself in Hartford hauling bags and boxes heavy with ravioli, cannoli and napoleons--gifts from Ella's eager supporters. The campaign also forced reflection and, surprisingly in a year marked by corroding cynicism, strengthened some correspondents' faith in the political system. As Los Angeles Bureau Chief Richard Duncan reported: "Candidates are human and frail, and none will save our country singlehanded, but they are generally a clear measure more thoughtful, able and honest than the professionally apathetic citizen who refuses to vote for the 'lesser evil.' "

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