But Mr. Gorton, who has fared poorly in recent polls even though Democrats will not select their nominee for nearly a month, is using the campaign against him to generate money of his own, citing ''Indian tribes flush with gambling dollars'' in a fund-raising letter to supporters. And he has used his position as chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls federal funding for the tribes to counter the impression that he is anti-Indian.

Here on the Lummi Reservation, for example, the tribe is desperate to replace its cluster of dilapidated modular buildings where children from kindergarten to high school are educated. Mr. Gorton has helped to ensure money for a new school.

But at the same time, the feud between the tribe and Mr. Gorton over Indian control of water and property of non-Indians living on the Lummi reservation has escalated. A few years ago, the senator threatened to withhold half of the tribe's federal financing if it did not accommodate outside developers seeking more water for building homes for non-Indians on privately owned or leased land within the reservation. The dispute continues, causing a deep rift among the tribe as it tries to win federal money for the new school.

''For the Lummi people, this has become personal,'' said Darrell Hillaire, a member of the Lummi tribal council. ''The needs of our children come first, and Senator Gorton has helped us there, and we respect him for that. But on all these other issues, it seems like it's racial with him.''

Mr. Gorton says his positions have nothing to do with race.

Willie Jones, the Lummi tribal chairman, said the tribe was not sure how active it would be in the campaign to defeat Mr. Gorton because the school money comes first.

''We have to stand up for our children,'' Mr. Jones said. ''But we also have to make a stand for our rights. The Indian tribes are finally learning how to use the system, and this is the test case.''

Others fear a backlash.

''Tribes pooling their resources together in an effort to defeat a senator is a recipe for disaster,'' said Tom Keefe, a Democrat running for the House in eastern Washington, who is married to a Nez Perce Indian. ''What if the tribes pour millions of dollars into the campaign and Senator Gorton wins re-election?''