Bill White, state Democratic chairman, said that after several years of Republican gains and Democratic defections, fund raising and grass-roots support were picking up.

Democratic defections on the impeachment issue will quickly follow Election Day, he said, if Republicans make substantial gains in Congress.

If the Republicans stick together, he says, they can probably count on a Democratic defection and get their way.

Democratic defections, in committee and in the Senate as a whole are commonplace.

Mr. Harding expects substantial Democratic defections in either case.

Democrats and Populists again gained control of the legislature in 1893, despite a Republican majority in the council and a Democratic defection in the House.

Even with a few Democratic defections, the proposal is expected to survive the Ways and Means Committee, where Democrats outnumber Republicans, 24 to 14.

Then rumors of Democratic defections that could sink the reduction plan in the Senate erased some gains in the afternoon.

Mr. Giuliani, who will need significant Democratic defections to win in November, shied away from partisanship.

Mr. DeLay issued a statement today saying that it was 26 Democratic defections, not his lobbying, that defeated the measure on a tie, 213 to 213.