PROVIDENCE -- While the pundits were still debating yesterday how U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee survived Tuesday's GOP primary, Chafee himself moved onto his next battle: tonight's contest with Democratic opponent Sheldon Whitehouse for the endorsement of the state's 80,000-member strong AFL-CIO.

Chafee has harvested more labor money than any other Republican in the U.S. Senate.

But some member unions have given to both Chafee and Whitehouse, through their political-action committees. And union leaders acknowledge that for some of them, it's a tough call between Chafee -- who has voted for minimum-wage hikes and other issues dear to labor-- and Whitehouse -- whose win in November could help tip the national political scale, and control of the U.S. Senate, to the Democrats.

"It's always a tough decision," but "especially when you respect both candidates," said state AFL-CIO president Frank Montanaro yesterday.

Fresh from his primary night victory over Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey, Chafee, a former Warwick mayor, booked a late-day meeting yesterday with the AFL-CIO screening committee, and acknowledged he was seeking tonight's endorsement.

Asked why the delegates from the 375 member unions should endorse him over Whitehouse, a former attorney general and federal prosecutor, Chafee said: "I've had a good record, not only in the Senate, but as mayor.

"As mayor, I worked with the Laborers -- and I know some of these aren't AFL-CIO -- but also my police union, FOP; municipal workers; firefighters and teachers, AFT [American Federation of Teachers]. I want to mention also my record in the Senate. It's important when the Republicans are in the majority to have a vote that is sympathetic to labor on these Senate committees. My vote can be the deciding vote because these committees are closely divided, and they know that."

Chafee made his pitch while fielding questions outside a Shaw's supermarket, in Barrington, where he went yesterday to shake hands and bask in his 54-percent-to-46-percent Tuesday night victory.

But Whitehouse said he too has high hopes of winning the endorsement, which comes with the implicit promise of financial help and manpower.

"I'm never confident until the day after," said Whitehouse yesterday. "But I'm working hard. I have a very good record with labor and I believe that they clearly understand the difference between a Democratic-controlled Senate, which can both check the excesses of George Bush and be a platform for new ideas and new solutions, and a continued Republican-controlled Senate, which has been so bad for labor, for Rhode Island and for the country."

Yesterday, AFL-CIO secretary treasurer George Nee said the delegates will compare the records and stances of the two on an array of traditional and less traditional labor issues including "immigration, tax policy, the war and trade issues." With more than 2,000 Senate votes behind him, Nee said, Chafee has a "mixed record."

The labor convention convenes at 7 p.m. at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Meanwhile yesterday, pundits and party leaders near and far offered theories on how Chafee -- who voted against the Iraq war, against the Bush tax cuts and often splits with GOP leaders in Washington -- beat back a challenger supported by the conservative Club for Growth, a national antitax group that also pushes for limited federal spending, government deregulation and school vouchers, and what it means.

Some cited voter discomfort with Laffey's combativeness and temperment. Others cited overconfidence on the part of Laffey, whose campaign precipitated an election-night e-mail that landed on the National Journal blog "On Call." In it, top campaign aides said they had hit their voter-turnout targets in every precinct and they would be "stunned if we lose based on what we know."

"It was all about turnout," agreed Darrel West, Brown University professor and pollster. But, "the independents saved Lincoln Chafee. Independents oppose the war; they don't like Bush very much and they think the Bush tax cuts are excessive and so they are philosophically more in sync with Chafee than Laffey."

In its election-day posting, the Club For Growth's president, former U.S. Rep Pat Toomey, of Pennsylvania, called the race a toss-up and said: "No matter what happens when the votes are counted, this race shows that the power of our ideas will be an influential factor in this election cycle."

By his tally, Club for Growth members donated more than $725,000 to Laffey's campaign and the Club for Growth PAC has spent over $515,000 in independent expenditures in this race, including more than $450,000 on TV ads in the last month.

Yesterday, Toomey said the club became involved in the race knowing Laffey would be the underdog.

"We went into it . . . knowing it would be lonely, that we'd be fighting for [Laffey], he'd be fighting for himself, and everybody else in the world would be against him," Toomey said. "Most of the time, an incumbent is going to win that kind of race. We're disappointed. There was a point that I did think this race was won, but sometimes the election is not held on the day your guy would do best."

Still, no regrets, he said. "It was a good investment. . . . We're advocates for economic freedom. Lincoln Chafee opposes everything that we believe in. Steve Laffey agrees with most of what we believe in. It was always a viable race."

Speaking by teleconference yesterday, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said GOP chances of holding onto their Senate majority "just got a whole lot better thanks to the hard work of Linc Chafee."

With most polls showing Whitehouse in a tight race with Chafee, but miles ahead of Laffey, Dole said: "First of all, this race would have immediately fallen into the hand of the Democrats if, indeed, Linc Chafee had lost that race. That would have been one down, right there."

"This win also rejects the anti-incumbent theme that is being pushed by a lot of the pundits and by Democrats. I think the reason that Linc Chafee won is because all politics are local and he is a perfect fit," she said, "for the state of Rhode Island."

Locally, voters gave their own reasons for choosing Chafee over Laffey.

Outside the Barrington Middle School, registered Republican Mary Hood said she went for Chafee because "he's pretty liberal and I'm liberal." That he cast a protest vote against President Bush was one reason she voted for him, she said. "I've been an independently minded person for a long time, and I like that kind of thinking, the fact that he's not totally a party person."

At the Waterman School in Laffey's Cranston neighborhood, Missy Martin, 34, a fiber network technician, also voted for Chafee. "I live in Cranston and I thought we were misled by Laffey," she said. "He said he was a math whiz and good with money. And he fixed the city by raising taxes. Anybody could have figured that out. You don't have to be a financial whiz."

In fact, to see the depth of Laffey's troubles, you need look no further than the Waterman School.

The brick building is just a few blocks from Laffey's home. His children attend classes there. On Tuesday it was once again the site where Laffey and his wife cast their ballots. But Laffey didn't win his home precinct. Chafee did, by one vote.

Cranston and Warwick were two major battlegrounds in the Senate race. Chafee, was able to capture 62 percent of the vote in Warwick. Next door in Cranston, Laffey only got 52.6 percent of the vote.

"The support that he needed was not there," said David Exter, chairman of the Cranston Republican City Committee. "I don't know exactly why that is. He has a proven track record of bringing the city back up from complete financial ruin."

Exter hypothesized that "painful decisions" Laffey made, such as raising taxes and challenging the crossing guard and firefighter unions, might have come back to bite him.

Cranston also had a Democratic primary for mayor, which drew 6,583 voters -- many who might have otherwise voted in the Republican race between Laffey and Chafee.

Former Cranston Republican Mayor Michael A. Traficante, a Chafee supporter, said that for some people, Laffey's tax hikes might have been an issue. But he added, Laffey's personality might have also played a big role.

"He comes across very abrasive many times. He's certainly not Mr. Congeniality," Traficante said. "When it comes to elected officials, people like to see their elected officials be somewhat humble."

"There's an old saying," he added. "Ability gets you there, it's character that keeps you there."

Laffey declined to be interviewed yesterday.

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