With polls forecasting a bruising defeat for Mr. Cuomo, he quit the race a week before the primary.

That came to an abrupt end, triggering the second phase, when the Liberal Democrats suffered a bruising defeat in the AV referendum in May this year.

But after a bruising defeat in a race for Nassau County Executive, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on State Supreme Court in 1968 and has been a judge ever since.

And a month later, the party suffered another bruising defeat when it lost the gubernatorial elections in Chiapas, a state that had previously been a solid bastion of support.

GERRY FRANCIS condemned the match officials after QPR's bruising defeat.

They point to the bruising, 2-to-1 defeat Mr. Molinari suffered at the hands of William L. Murphy two years ago in a race for Staten Island district attorney.

That contributed to a bruising defeat for the Christian Democrats, long the majority party.

In the first contest after his bruising defeat in New Hampshire a week ago, Gov. George W. Bush handily won the Republican primary in Delaware today.

If the Lib Dems experience a bruising defeat, it will only drive home the message that Clegg's decision to join the Coalition is unpopular with many voters.

The greatest burden of that decision has been having to stay in office for two years after suffering a bruising defeat.