DAN HOLLY Herald Staff Writer

Magda Montiel Davis is trying hard to unseat Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Ros-Lehtinen is trying hard to ignore her.

A successful lawyer but a political newcomer, Montiel Davis is trying to knock off a popular incumbent who is also the first Cuban-American member of Congress. And Montiel Davis, a Democrat, is trying to do it in a district that is mostly Republican.
If she loses, no one will blame her for not trying.

She accuses Ros-Lehtinen of being unethical. She keeps jabbing Ros-Lehtinen in what she perceives to be her weak points, particularly abortion.

Meanwhile, Ros-Lehtinen concentrates on looking congressional -- escorting President Bush around South Dade,
helping to coordinate hurricane aid -- and tries hard to ignore Montiel Davis' jabs.

You can't blame Ros-Lehtinen for feeling confident. She won the seat in District 18 by a comfortable margin in 1989, in a special election to succeed the late Claude Pepper, and again in 1990, when the district was mostly Democratic.

Earlier this year, the state Legislature redrew the district boundaries and it is now 51 percent Republican. It is also 67 percent Hispanic. It starts at the southern tip of Miami Beach and takes in Key Biscayne and part of Coral Gables. It runs south, just east of U.S. 1, all the way to Homestead. Then it heads north up the other side. The western part of the district includes Little Havana, West Miami, Westchester and parts of Sweetwater and Miami Springs.

In some respects, the candidates are similar. Montiel Davis is 39, Ros-Lehtinen is 40. Both were born in Havana; both came to Florida as a child.

But Ros-Lehtinen has been in public office since 1982. Montiel Davis had never run for election before.

The mother of five, Davis said she was motivated to run mostly by the threat to abortion rights.

"The handwriting is on the wall," she said. "We, as women, will have our right to choose taken away, the fundamental right to control our bodies."

Ros-Lehtinen, who calls herself "pro-life" and has cast several votes to restrict or discourage abortion, responds this way: "In every one of my campaigns, my opponent has always said abortion is the No. 1 issue. And, in every one of my campaigns, I have always won."

The main issue of the election, Ros-Lehtinen says, is the economy. She supports most of the president's game plan for fixing it.

But Ros-Lehtinen, perhaps mindful that Bush is lagging in the polls, points out her occasional variances from administration policies. For instance, she supports restrictions on the sale of handguns and assault weapons.

Throughout the campaign, she has tried to ignore Montiel Davis' attacks. But after weeks of responding generally, if at all, an exasperated Ros-Lehtinen last week faxed 18 pages of detailed responses to the media.

Among the charges and responses:

* That Ros-Lehtinen planted stories in Spanish-language community newspapers about Montiel Davis' husband, Ira Kurzban. Kurzban, an attorney, has taken on some unpopular clients, including some connected to Castro government.

Ros-Lehtinen denies she had anything to do with the stories, as do the newspapers.

* That Ros-Lehtinen got her electricity turned on before anybody else on her block after the hurricane. A Florida Power & Light spokeswoman confirmed to The Miami Herald that an FPL employee made an "error in judgment" and assumed the Lehtinen's private home was a top priority for restoration of service.

Ros-Lehtinen said that she asked for no special favors, that she merely called to ask when her power would be restored.

The race promises to intensify. Ros-Lehtinen began running television ads Monday, and Montiel Davis promises to do so two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.

Ros-Lehtinen has more money -- as of mid-August, when the last campaign reports were filed, she had about $206,000 compared to less than $30,000 for Montiel Davis. Will she take off the gloves? She's not saying.

Ros-Lehtinen's first TV ad aired Monday. It does not mention Montiel Davis.

It talks about improving education and fighting crime and ends with the tag line: "I've got a lot of fighting left to do."

ABORTION

Ros-Lehtinen is "pro-life" and has voted to restrict or discourage abortion, and she opposes federal funding for abortion.

Montiel Davis is pro-choice and wants no restrictions on abortion.

CUBA

Ros-Lehtinen supports provisions of the recently passed Cuban Democracy Act that tightens the U.S. embargo by closing certain loopholes. It restricts sales of food and medicine until Cuba makes progress toward democracy.

She says restrictions are necessary "to ensure that humanitarian aid would go to the people, and not be diverted to Castro's Communist regime.

Montiel Davis supports tightening the embargo, but would
allow sale of food and medicine with fewer restrictions than contained in the Cuban Democracy Act. Also, she wants to require the president to negotiate an agreement to improve telephone service.

She wants to make it a lot easier to send food and medicine to Cuba: "How can anybody act to prevent the basic necessities -- food and medicine -- being sent to our people in Cuba?"

THE ECONOMY

Ros-Lehtinen would bring the budget deficit under control,
cut defense spending, prioritize spending, pass the balanced budget amendment, give the president a line-item veto and reduce burdensome regulations on small businesses.

Montiel Davis would bring the deficit under control, raise taxes on those making more than $200,000, cut defense spending, encourage small businesses through tax credits, crack down on foreign companies that don't pay their fair share of U.S. taxes and would pursue "responsible" spending policies.

EDUCATION

Ros-Lehtinen supports the president's "America 2000" initiative, which calls on every community to adopt a set of national goals, determine how to meet them and monitor progress.

Montiel Davis supports expanding Head Start and other preschool programs, more frequent basic skills tests, improved security in high schools, more job training, more school loans, improved bilingual education programs and the adoption of national education standards.

THE ENVIRONMENT

Ros-Lehtinen is opposed to oil drilling off Florida's coast, supports expanding the Everglades and supports strengthening the Clean Air Act.

Montiel Davis supports legislation to protect and expand the Everglades, wants certain Florida animals put on the Endangered Species List and would not consider economic effects when deciding whether to put species on the list.

FOREIGN TRADE

Ros-Lehtinen says that before supporting the North American Free Trade Agreement, she wants to examine potential negative impact on the economy. Also, she would not support agreement if Mexico "continues to support Communist Cuba."

Montiel Davis would support NAFTA only with assurances that Mexico would move toward greater environmental protection and that U.S. jobs would be protected.

GUN CONTROL

Ros-Lehtinen supports waiting periods for handgun purchases and limitations on the sale of assault weapons.

Montiel Davis supports waiting periods for handgun purchases and limitations on the sale of assault weapons.

HEALTH CARE

Ros-Lehtinen says the guiding principle in health care reform should be "consumer choice," and she opposes "health care rationed by bureaucrats." Her philosophy is closer to the president's plan of tax credits than Gov. Bill Clinton's.

Montiel Davis supports Clinton's "pay or play" concept, under which employers would provide health insurance or buy into the government program.

HAITI

Ros-Lehtinen believes "every person should have a fair and free opportunity to present the case for political asylum," but does not denounce the Bush administration policy of forced repatriation. She would re-examine whether the embargo has been effective.

Montiel Davis says the U.S. should "end the inhumane policy of returning Haitians without a determination of whether their life or freedom would be threatened." She supports embargo but feels it should be better enforced.

ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Ros-Lehtinen supports secure Israeli borders and loan guarantees.

Montiel Davis is opposed to sale of arms to nations that do not recognize Israel's right to exist. She supports Palestinians' right to participate in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. And she supports loan guarantees.

TAXES

Ros-Lehtinen supports a capital gains tax cut. She says a "tax on the wealthy" is "undefined and speculative."

Montiel Davis opposes a capital gains tax cut. She wants higher taxes for people making more than $200,000 per year.

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

Personal: age 40 . . . born in Havana, has lived in South Florida 32 years . . . former teacher . . . married to former U.S. Attorney Dexter Lehtinen . . . two daughters, ages 5 and 6.

Education: Southwest High . . . Miami-Dade Community
College . . . bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida International University . . . doctoral course work at University of Miami.

Experience: state representative, 1982-86 . . . state senator, 1986-89 . . . member of Congress, 1989-present.

MAGDA MONTIEL DAVIS

Personal: age 39 . . . born in Havana, has lived in South Florida 31 years . . . owner of three-attorney law firm that specializes in immigration . . . married to attorney Ira Kurzban . . . mother of five children, ages 1 1/2, 3, 12, 13, 16.

Education: Miami Central High . . . bachelor's degree from University of Miami . . . University of Miami School of Law.

Experience: volunteered for Sen. Joseph Biden and helped prepare position papers for presidential campaigns of Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis.