POLITICAL BRIEFING

EYEING ILLINOIS: Coming out of New Hampshire, the two top Democratic contenders seem to be picking their battlefields carefully, perhaps hoping to avoid the risk of losing a full-scale, head-to-head confrontation. On March 3, Clinton will be counting on victory in the Georgia primary to prove he appeals to the voters in the South, while Tsongas is looking to the Washington state caucuses and the Maryland primary to demonstrate his strength outside New England. On Super Tuesday, March 10, Clinton may concentrate on contests in seven Southern and border states while Tsongas concentrates on Massachusetts, his home state, and Rhode Island. A showdown could develop in the Illinois primary on March 17. The Clinton campaign has been organizing there for several months, and the primary’s stakes--164 convention delegates--are too high for Tsongas to pass up.