DEMOCRATS AGAINST CHAFEE

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), headed by Sen. Charles Schumer, made an unusual intervention in a Republican primary by financing negative telephone calls in an unsuccessful effort to block liberal Sen. Lincoln Chafee from renomination in Rhode Island.

The DSCC spent $14,300 for anti-Chafee calls last Saturday and another $11,700 on Monday, for a total of $26,000. Chafee's conservative challenger in the GOP primary, Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey, was considered a sure loser in the general election if he were nominated.

Chafee was vigorously backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Republican National Committee and the White House. In comparison, the DSCC spent only $62 helping Sen. Joseph Lieberman's losing candidacy in the Connecticut Democratic primary.

BOWLING FOR REPUBLICANS

Republicans in Washington were urged to take time off work from 4 to 6 p.m. last Wednesday and go to the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley in an unusual fund-raiser for seven GOP House members in need of late campaign money.

The National Republican Congressional Committee called the event BOMP (Bowling for Our Majority Program). The beneficiaries were Reps. Steve Chabot of Ohio, Thelma Drake of Virginia, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, J.D. Hayworth of Arizona, Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, John Sweeney of New York and Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania.

The solicitation for BOMP asserted that the seven incumbents "all have a real need for additional resources in the last couple of months before the election," either because of a "well-funded" Democratic opponent or especially high local television costs.