Several other challengers, such as Itamar Franco, Mr Cardoso's quirky predecessor, and Ciro Gomes, a soft-left former state governor, seem to be fading.

ECONOMIST: Politics in Brazil

The reform legislation still contains a controversial ban on so-called "soft money, " the money raised by national, state and local parties and purportedly used only for party-building and get-out-the-vote drives, rather than direct help for candidates.

CNN: Jump-Starting Finance Reform

When the sun is in this state, it also sends less energy out in the soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet parts of its spectrum.

MSN: Earth's upper atmosphere cooling dramatically