SENATE GOP FRACTURED BY UPSTATE- DOWNSTATE POWER FIGHT.(Local)

Byline: Jeannie H. Cross United Press International

While speculation at the Capitol is rampant that Senate Majority Leader Warren M. Anderson is headed for retirement, few are focusing on the major reason for him to stay: He is the glue that is keeping the increasingly fractured Republican Senate majority together.

Cracks in what was once a monolithic majority have been developing for at least 10 years, as the GOP lost seats in upstate cities and gained them in New York City and its suburbs.

At the moment, the downstaters have a one-seat edge over the upstaters but they also have been asserting their ascendancy more.

This was particularly …