Mr. Gore was the latest in a string of high-profile Democrats who have campaigned with Mr. Torricelli in recent weeks.

I'm actually a personal friend of Bill Clinton as well as other high-profile Democrats.

Nor has Mr. Matheson, 40, a former energy company consultant, sought out high-profile Democrats to visit the district on his behalf.

Meanwhile, between races, he forged non-aggression pacts against high-profile Democrats with sharp tongues, like Edward Koch and Mario Cuomo.

With no high-profile Democrats in the race, it was believed by that the most likely candidates would come from the state legislature.

Richard Thigpen, a veteran of Newark politics, said a standard get-out-the-vote strategy would not work this time around because the nonpartisan race features two high-profile Democrats.

Incumbent Republicans would be forced to run where they are not well known, and where their likely opponents would be high-profile Democrats.

But Mr. Gore, who referred to himself as a "recovering politician," is one of the few high-profile Democrats to call for a complete elimination of the act.

His opponent, Assemblyman Thomas P. DiNapoli, also made the rounds, noting that he had endorsements from high-profile Democrats.

Ms. Feinstein's apparent victory was particularly notable in an election in which most high-profile Democrats were swept aside by the Republican tide.