POLITICAL BRIEFING

OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: The political fortunes of two of this year’s female Senate candidates have taken decidedly different turns. In Pennsylvania, Democrat Lynn Yeakel’s hopes of derailing Republican Sen. Arlen Specter are dimming. Plagued by campaign miscues, Yeakel trailed the incumbent by double digits in a recent poll. . . . In Illinois, Carol Mosely Braun has become a strong favorite to become the first black female to serve in the Senate. In a sure sign of her front-runner status, Braun is steadfastly resisting calls by her Republican foe, Richard Williamson, that she agree to more than the two debates their campaigns negotiated in the battle for the open seat.