Knocking at the political door; black hopefuls campaign for the U.S. Senate.

At least two blacks may be vying for U.S. Senate seats this November, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.).

Black political candidates are coming of age as they run for these offices, says David Bositis, senior political analyst with the joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. Bositis says they have networked, learned how to raise money and been elected to lower-level political positions.

"Now we have risen up through the process, and we're being recognized as talented elected officials," says King County Councilman Ron Sims, one of eight Democrats jockeying in the Senate primary in Washington state (at press time).

Since Reconstruction, four blacks have held seats in the Senate; two during Reconstruction and two since 1967. No two have ever served at the same time.

Former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder seemed to have the best chance of any black candidate to join Moseley-Braun in the Senate this year. However, he dropped out of the race in September.

Missouri Democratic nominee Alan Wheat steps up as the most promising black candidate to get into the Senate.

Wilder, 63, had run as an independent in a fiery four-way Virginia race. It was seen as a very competitive contest, says Gary Koops, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Observers thought Wilder would have attracted votes from the incumbent Democrat Charles Robb. The two Republicans are moderate J. Marshall Coleman, an independent, and conservative nominee Oliver North. The question for Wilder watchers was whether he'd be able to pick up enough votes from disgruntled Virginians, who may dislike the other three candidates more than they dislike him. Bositis says Wilder was expecting Robb to be attacked on a personal level. This would have allowed Wilder to be seen as the best alternative to Robb. "It didn't happen," Bositis says. "All the polls showed Robb in the lead."

Political observers believe the 43-year-old Wheat has an uphill battle to win against former Gov. John Ashcroft, who was popular when he served in Missouri's top post. Wheat and Ashcroft are vying for the scat given up by retiring Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.). Wheat, a six-term congressman from Kansas City, represents a mostly white district and is high up in the Democratic hierarchy. For Wheat to win, Bositis says, he needs to court labor unions, women and people who traditionally vote Democratic.

In Washington state, Democrat Ron Sims, 46, was the front-runner in an eight-way primary. Sims hopes to face two-term Sen. Slade Gorton in the general election. The major challenge facing Sims is Gorton's incumbent status, according to Bositis. Ken Klein, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, notes that if Sims - who has few funds - wins the primary, he will have little time to prepare for the general election.

In New York, Rev. Al Sharpton lost the Democratic primary against Sen. Daniel Moynihan. While Sharpton plans on running as an independent in November, at press time his petitions were being challenged. Political analysts say Sharpton is unlikely to win the general election, if he runs.

African-American candidates Joel Ferguson (D-Mich.) and Joe Watkins (R-Pa.) lost their party's Senate primaries, and will not run on independent tickets. Even if black candidates don't win, Bositis says, they will have increased their exposure and may be the top candidates in 1996.