Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 24, 1990                   TAG: 9004240638
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: ROB EURE POLITICAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DEMOCRATS GIVE UP ON WARNER RACE, BLOCK SPANNAUS

In local party meetings Saturday and Monday night, about 1,100 of the 1,800 would-be delegates to a state convention wanted no candidate against Warner. Another 100 said they were uncommitted.

The state party will not have final results until late today, according to Paul Goldman, state Democratic Party chairman.

Nancy Spannaus, a follower of jailed political leader Lyndon LaRouche, won no support for her bid for the Democratic nomination, a "repudiation of political extremism" by the state party, Goldman said.

In Roanoke County Monday night, Spannaus had three supporters among the 79 Democrats who showed up for the mass meeting.

Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, who presented a slate of delegates for no candidate to oppose Warner, urged Democrats to reject the politics of "fear and hate" employed by the LaRouche supporters.

Both Goldman and Gov. Douglas Wilder have said they do not know of a strong candidate to oppose Warner, a popular moderate two-term senator. And they have indicated they would rather have no candidate than a weak challenger to Warner.

To that end, the party moved to block Spannaus with a rule to cancel the party convention if more than 50 percent of the Democrats elected as delegates want no candidate. That goal was easily met in the Saturday and Monday meetings.

Roanoke County Democratic Chairman Warren Campbell said Monday that the state central committee could still select a nominee by a two-thirds vote before the final deadline of June 12, but no such move is expected.

Spannaus has said she may run as an independent.