ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701270037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: ROBERT LITTLE STAFF WRITER
ONE OF THE SIDELIGHTS to this year's General Assembly session is the rivalry between two key Republican senators, Ken Stolle and Mark Earley.
You usually won't find Mark Earley and Ken Stolle at the center of anything, dedicated conservatives that they are.
But as this year's General Assembly session progresses, looking more and more like a campaign advertisement in disguise, the two Republican senators - Earley from Chesapeake, Stolle from Virginia Beach - are in the center of it all.
Both have designs on the job of attorney general, the state's legal counsel, top law officer - and a traditional launching pad for aspiring governors.
And both serve in Virginia's upper chamber, where the GOP has real lawmaking might for the first time this century.
That means two senior Republicans, who rarely differ on matters legislative, are battling each other even as they serve a common master.
They agree on most matters that come up on the Senate floor. But the packages of bills that the two are trying to drive through the General Assembly this year highlight vastly different legislative styles - and obvious disagreement about the priorities an attorney general ought to have.
"I don't feel like I'm in competition with Mark. We've always worked together in the General Assembly," Stolle said in an interview.
"I'm sure we'll continue to agree on many things," said Earley, in a separate interview.
"But I also don't consider Mark a serious candidate for attorney general right now, not with the money he's raised and the level of support he has around the state," Stolle said.
"I think Ken is a one-issue legislator. I don't say that in a negative way; some legislators choose to focus their efforts more narrowly than others," Earley said. "But you can't be a one-issue attorney general."
The Republican candidate for attorney general will be selected June 10 in a statewide primary. Northern Virginia attorney Gil Davis and former Allen administration Public Safety Secretary Jerry Kilgore also are seeking the nomination, but, since they're not in the General Assembly, they don't have the same stage that Stolle and Early do with the legislature in session.
Earley and Stolle are among the Senate's more conspicuous legislators. Rarely will controversial matters about morals or crime pass through the chamber without one or the other participating in the debate.
Earley has long been the Senate's champion of anti-abortion forces. His bill making the killing of a fetus, or "feticide," the equivalent of murder is advancing through the legislature. Another bill, banning partial-birth abortions, should be heard this week.
But the culmination of Earley's legislative resume would be the passage of a bill prohibiting abortions for minors without a parent's knowledge. Once a perennial loser, the parental notification bill is expected to pass into law this year.
Already the favorite son of religious conservatives, Earley would then become their undisputed champion.
Stolle is more the take-no-prisoners type of lawmaker, a former police officer whose legislative agenda is always rich in crime-related bills.
He wants a money-laundering statute that would break drug rings, and a death penalty statute that would extend to drug kingpins. He is carrying the effort to have complaints about judges investigated in public forums.
His top priority is a drug statute that would force more people into treatment programs while slapping tougher sanctions on the most serious drug offenders.
"Even if nothing else happens in this session with regard to crime, we will have taken a big step toward fighting the drug problem," Stolle said.
"That would be the most important bill passed this year, I think."
Each man likely will vote for the other's legislation. And they will pursue issues beyond abortion and crime.
Earley is seeking money to help people with mental disabilities live in transitional homes instead of institutions. He'll seek tougher drunken-driving penalties and try to restrict gambling.
Stolle wants to give teachers civil immunity from accidents that happen to students, to restrict horse racing and to guarantee that prostate cancer tests are covered by insurance companies.
But that each man's reputation has been built on a narrow range of issues - crime for Stolle and conservative social issues for Earley - is not something they try to hide. In fact, they hope to capitalize on it.
"I think I'll continue to be an advocate for the things I've been an advocate for," Earley said. "I'd certainly use the attorney general's office as a bully pulpit for parental notification, and I'd certainly use it as a bully pulpit for increased funding for the mentally ill."
Said Stolle: "If somebody looks at my overall record, they'll see that I focus on public safety. That's my background, and I make no excuses for it. An attorney general needs a strong background with issues like that. But I think I'm also pro-business, and my record reflects that."
It's still early in the legislative session, and few issues have reached the Senate floor for public debate. Stolle's and Earley's bills promise to touch off more contention than most.
"I would think it would be hard to work side by side the way they do, knowing they'll have this intense, personal face-off as soon as the session is over," said Lt. Gov. Don Beyer, president of the Senate and the likely Democratic candidate for governor.
"Politics is personal - especially intraparty politics. I think everyone is waiting to see when the fireworks will start."
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Mark Earley Staunch foe of abortion. 2. Ken Stolleby CNBLaw-and-order candidate. color. KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997