Mario Cuomo is, in most polls, popular among hard-core Democrats.

Without them, Mr. Gore, with strong backing from union members, hard-core Democrats and women, would have swamped him.

On Primary Day, the hard-core Democrats are going to vote for the candidate who has stuck up for progressive values.

That nationwide survey, of 1,000 Hispanics interviewed last month, identified 45 percent as "hard-core Democrats" and 30 percent as "hard-core Republicans."

Today the term refers to a hard-core Democrat, supposedly referring to a person who would vote for a "yellow dog" before voting for a Republican.

Howard Dean is certainly lighting the fire of hard-core Democrats like myself.

Lost in all the policy pitching will be the usual efforts to excite the party's base with speeches intended simply to whip up support among hard-core Democrats.

"In my mind, I said, 'Wow, either he's not very popular, or those are hard-core Democrats or people who aren't crazy about him,' " he said.

His line of attack was tailor-made for hard-core Democrats in New York, playing on party loyalty and the economic success of the Clinton administration.

Even hard-core Democrats acknowledge that Governor Whitman is going to be tough to beat.