If the US hostages are released, will Jimmy Carter be a shoo-in on Nov. 4?

That's what a lot of Ronald Reagan's supporters are worried about right now. Carter will "wrap himself in the American flag," and there won't be much Reagan can do about it, they say.

But Republican pollster Robert Teeter isn't that pessimistic. Release of the hostages might tip the election to Carter, he concedes. However, if the release comes on the eve of the election, Teeter says, it could result in a backlash. The electorate, he says, has become somewhat cynical about such matters.m