Opponents of affirmative action are on the verge of almost fully defeating Leftist politicos in four states over ballot initiatives that, if passed, will outlaw preferential treatment based on race, sex and nationality in public university admissions and government hiring. Missouri, Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska are all in danger of losing their affirmative action programs come November 4, a day being called "Super Tuesday for Equal Rights" by some anti-affirmative action circles.

Liberal groups have been fighting tooth and nail through litigation to keep the issue away from voters, but so far the court battles have been all for naught in Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska. Missouri, say enemies of preference programs, is proving to be a more difficult battleground, with the opposition there behaving "more aggressively."

Affirmative action supporters in the four states have a lot to worry about, as ballot initiatives intended to strike down preferential policy have proven in the past to be agreeable to voters from both the left and right.

In liberal Washington state, for example, the antipreference initiative was backed not only by 80% of Republicans and 62% of independents, but by 41% of Democrats; this in the face of liberal opposition that — abetted by such local corporate behemoths as Eddie Bauer, Microsoft and Starbucks — massively outspent supporters of the measure. The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative similarly passed despite the fierce opposition of a liberal-left coalition of 180 groups, ranging from the League of Women Voters and the United Auto Workers to the Arab-American Institute.

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