The important thing was that the cliché sounded good to Republicans, strong and virile, for a while.

In the view of many Republicans, that could leave conservative independents open to considering a strong Republican.

"The strong Republicans are with him," a senior aide to Senator John Kerry said of Mr. Bush.

But a strong Republican was not at all what Senator Al D'Amato wanted when he was playing kingmaker.

A strong Republican like Rowland at the top of the ticket will help.

While straight ticket voting has declined among the general voting population, it is still prevalent in those who are strong Republicans and strong Democrats.

What we needed was a strong Republican, preferably one who had more influence and would give it the support that it needed.

But the candidates were neck and neck among those who described themselves as "strong Republicans" ---- a smaller group but one considered even more likely to vote.

The agency gives loan guarantees to developers and other business owners who tend to be strong Republicans.

"My husband was a strong Republican," said Mr. Madden's wife, Maura.