He of course faced a very strong opponent, the former member of Congress, Anne Northup.

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As for Goldwater, it's true that in his dotage he was a strong opponent of social conservatism.

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And although he was at first sympathetic to the hugely controversial "poll tax", he became a strong opponent.

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He has been a strong opponent of gun-control, something that will deservedly do him few favours with women voters.

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At the time, Gregory was interviewing Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, a strong opponent of new gun control proposals.

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Iran was a strong opponent of the Taliban, which sheltered Osama bin Laden and others before the U.S.-led invasion after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

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Given the extraordinary share of foreign trade in its overall economy (as high as up to 65 percent of its gross domestic product), China has become a champion of free trade and strong opponent to protectionism.

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"Fatigue was starting to affect me and my opponent was very strong, " world number 32 Dulgheru told the official WTA Tour Web site.

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Nonetheless, he is one of the party's greatest advocates of a strong separate identity and is an opponent of links with Labour.

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Johnson, a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and a strong supporter of a bill to revamp the IRS, will not know who her Democratic opponent is until the state's September primary, but she has had to slog through increasingly tough re-election races in recent years.

CNN: By Jackie Koszczuk, CQ Staff Writer