AVENTURA, Fla. -- When she looks out over a horizon dotted with high-rise condominiums filled with retirees, state Rep. Elaine Bloom sees the voters who could propel her to Congress.

Bloom, who got her start in politics 35 years ago lobbying Congress to pass Medicare, is one of an exceptionally large class of women from both parties competing in the year's hottest House and Senate races.She woos senior citizens, who make up one-third of the south Florida congressional district, with a pitch to extend Medicare coverage to prescription drugs.

"It makes no sense to have a system that provides for hospital care and not the medications that keep people well," she said, winning nods of approval from a gray-haired audience at a synagogue.

Bloom, a Democrat, raised more money last year than 20-year Republican Rep. Clay Shaw and is given a better-than-average chance of unseating him.

In the shadow of first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for a Senate seat in New York, both parties have recruited women to try to improve their chances of winning certain races.

"The news is there are women running in some of the most competitive districts in the country, and they've made very strong showings early in the campaign cycle," said Stephanie Cohen Glass, a spokeswoman for Emily's List, which raises money for Democratic women candidates.

While 1992 was dubbed the "Year of the Woman" after four women won Senate seats and 24 were elected to the House, 2000 is quietly shaping up as the sequel.

Women are seeking four of the 11 Senate seats and six of the 18 House seats considered most competitive, playing an important role in an election where control of each chamber is up for grabs.

Among the marquee contenders is former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman of California, who is trying to regain the House seat she gave up in 1998 for an unsuccessful run for governor. With President Clinton's help, Harman raised $400,000 last month at a fund-raiser in Washington's fashionable Georgetown neighborhood.

Republicans also tout women they hope will capture Democratic-held seats in Pennsylvania, with state Sen. Melissa Hart, and West Virginia, with state Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, the daughter of former Gov. Arch Moore.

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Both parties made concerted efforts to recruit women with credentials and name recognition that make them strong contenders in their districts.

In Ohio, for instance, Columbus City Council member Maryellen O'Shaughnessy, a Democrat, is running for the House seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. John Kasich.

O'Shaughnessy has plenty of backing. Her father and two uncles were state lawmakers and her brother is a village mayor. Besides serving on the City Council, she is a director of her family-owned funeral home.

Likewise, Bloom in Florida has a long r

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