Talking-heads christened it the "Seinfeld election," and many voters thought yesterday's contests were about nothing.

But the lack of a single national issue did not prevent a Democrat from winning the gubernatorial race in the nation's largest state and a number of other close contests across the country.

Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, defeated the Republican candidate for governor in California, State Attorney General Dan Lungren. In the state's Senate race, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) beat another GOP hopeful, State Treasurer Matt Fong.

Democrats also won tight Senate contests in Wisconsin and New York, and the party had captured House seats in Pennsylvania, Mississippi and New Mexico at press time.

Elsewhere in the country, Republicans did not fare as badly, with Massachusetts Acting Governor A. Paul Cellucci beating out his Democratic challenger, State Attorney General L. Scott Harshbarger '64, and a Republican defeating incumbent Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun in Illinois.

With such mixed results, both Republicans and Democrats were quick to declare victory, and partisan spin efforts will likely determine general opinion about the overall meaning of the results.

Former White House press secretary Michael D. McCurry called yesterday's race "a national Rorschach test," predicting "people will make of it whatever they want."

Even before the polls closed last night, representatives from the Democratic and Republican National Committees were claiming success for their parties.

Democrats celebrated some unexpected victories in the nation's gubernatorial contests. Challengers who enjoyed the overwhelming support of black voters ousted Republican governors in South Carolina and Alabama.

Democrats also emphasized that their strong showing in the congressional contest defied a historical trend. Since 1862, the president's party has fared poorly in mid-term elections.

Republicans stressed last night that the results should be judged in light of over-whelming GOP gains in the House and

Senate in 1994. As holders of the majority, they had fewer seats to capture.

Despite losses in a few close races, Republicans managed to retain their dominance of the nation's state houses.

The Issues

GOP spokespeople said that although gubernatorial success is often overlooked inside the Beltway, the party takes pride in the fact that its governors consistently marshal local support.

But the news for Republicans at the local level was not all good last night. Several tight legislative races won by Democrats were decided over statewide, rather than national, issues.