THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 13, 1994 TAG: 9407130373
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Incumbent Democrat Charles S. Robb has pulled to a slight lead in Virginia's four-way race for the U.S. Senate, according to a new poll.
The survey of 836 registered state voters showed Robb with 29 percent of the vote, Republican Oliver L. North with 23 percent, independent J. Marshall Coleman with 22 percent and independent L. Douglas Wilder with 17 percent.
The poll was conducted Friday through Monday by Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research Inc. of Columbia, Md. A survey by the company last month found all four candidates in a dead heat.
Brad Coker, president of Mason-Dixon, attributed Robb's slight surge to a successful television advertising blitz by the candidate last month and publicity from his victory in the June 14 Democratic primary election.
For the first time in two years, more voters said they liked Robb than disliked him. Thirty-seven percent said they view the senator favorably, while 30 percent expressed unfavorable opinions. Last month, 32 percent viewed him positively and 39 percent negatively.
North continues to be dogged by highly unfavorable ratings, although the poll suggests he, too, was helped by television commercials last month designed to enhance his public image.
Thirty percent said they have a favorable opinion of North while 47 percent expressed unfavorable views. Last month, North's negatives outweighed his positives by 53 percent to 27 percent.
Support for Coleman, a former state attorney general who has been under steady attack from North for abandoning the Republican Party, dropped from 25 percent to 22 percent over the past month. During the same time span, Coleman's unfavorable ratings almost doubled - from 12 percent to 21 percent.
Wilder, a former Democratic governor who has had the least visibility over the past month, saw his support drop from 22 percent to 17 percent. His popularity ratings - 29 percent positive, 38 percent negative - remain virtually unchanged.
Wilder continues to run strong with blacks, although his support slipped from 71 to 64 percent over the past month. During the same time, Robb's backing from blacks increased from 14 to 19 percent.
The poll shows Robb is running the strongest in suburban Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, and in rural Southwestern Virginia. Coleman is strongest in the traditionally Republican Shenandoah Valley. Wilder leads in the Richmond area, his home base.
``North has no pocket of strength, but runs steadily throughout the state,'' Coker said.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
KEYWORDS: POLLS U.S. SENATE RACE VIRGINIA
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