"There's got to be a mandate for the federalgovernment to lift regulations," Jeghelian says."Mandated benefits are too numerous, payrolldeductions are extravagant."

Different Social Concerns

The candidates say their consensus on economicissues is expected and will become an importantfactor in the race against Kennedy. But the socialissues which divide them will play the determiningrole in the primary.

Although all the candidates disagree withClinton's health care plan, they each offerconsiderably different alternatives.

Jefferson, a physician, says health care is oneof the most important issues of the campaign, butshe opposes the Clinton reforms, calling them"draconian" and unnecessary.

"There's no health care crisis," she says."There is an image that people are dying in thestreets because they can not get into hospitals,but that's not true."

Jefferson says she opposes any system ofuniversal coverage. Instead, she supportspreserving patients' ability to choose healthcare.

"Since I am the only medical doctor in therace, I have an obligation on behalf of themedical system to preserve the finest health caresystem in the world," Jefferson says.

Jeghelian says she advocates programs targetedto the three percent of Americans who simplycannot get health insurance, rather than mandateduniversal coverage.

Romney, in contrast, supports health careinsurance reform and universal coverage. But hevoices a refrain echoed by the other Republicancandidates: government must limit its involvementin the new health care system.

"Government can't run itself efficiently,"Romney says. "How is it going to run health careefficiently?"

"Government has a definite, but limited andtargeted [role] in providing insurance to peoplewhose uninsured period lasts more than two orthree years," Carter says.

While the candidates advocates advocate limitedgovernment health care regulation, they supportstrong government intervention and tougherpenalties for serious crimes.

Crime, say the candidates, will be the new hottopic of debate in this year's election.

Romney, who emphasizes the need for "a tougherapproach to criminal justice," says the typicalmurderer spends only five and a half years inprison, and the average time for a rapist is onlythree and a half years.