Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 15, 1990 TAG: 9005150249
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: CATHEDRAL CITY, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
Newman, 77, glanced up and there stood actor Ralph Waite - better known as Papa John Walton on the long-running 1970s television series.
"He was a hero of mine," Newman gushed as she gazed toward Waite, her fork frozen in midair. "He was such a good father, such a caring man."
Ralph Waite is used to such adulation, though in the past it was mostly a nuisance. But now, as a Democratic candidate for Congress in California's 37th District, the actor's Hollywood history is the most potent weapon in his campaign arsenal.
"Everywhere I go, people tell me they grew up with me as their father image," said Waite, 61, who lives in the desert community of Rancho Mirage, near Palm Springs. "They tend to want to trust me and listen to me . . . and that's a real plus."
Though he wants to be viewed as a serious contender and not some celebrity lightweight, Waite realizes his TV past is vital in his bid to win the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat in June and go on to unseat Rep. Al McCandless, a Republican, in November.
Waite is favored to win the Democratic nomination in the June 5 primary, but toppling McCandless this fall, however, is a very different matter.
McCandless, a four-term congressman who defeated his last two Democratic opponents by 2-1 margins, does not sound like a man gripped by panic. Still, the congressman concedes a race against Waite would likely be his toughest since he first won his office in 1982.
"Of all the nominees the Democrats have put forward, I would say he'd probably be the strongest," said McCandless, 62.
Democratic strategists say that at the least, Waite should bring excitement to the normally sleepy campaign to represent the 37th Congressional District, a diverse, fast-growing area that covers nearly all of Riverside County.
A lanky man with an energetic campaign style, Waite was a social worker and Presbyterian minister before launching an acting career. After moving to the desert with his wife, Linda, eight years ago, he helped to establish a home for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts and joined the board of a low-income housing coalition. He also volunteers for local environmental causes and has appeared at benefits for AIDS victims.
"I hope the concerned citizen will be aware of all that . . . and will vote for me because of those things as well as for what I've accomplished as an actor," Waite said.
But in one area in particular - fund raising - celebrity status will be a definite plus.
Waite, who estimates he needs 15 percent to 20 percent of the Republican vote to become the district's next congressman, realizes it will take money to reach and win over those folks. His campaign has set a preliminary goal of spending $580,000, and many predict that figure could almost double by November. For Democrats - whose 1988 nominee in the district, Johnny Pearson, spent just $13,500 - that is big bucks.
Much of the money will come from the wealthy desert resort area where Waite lives. Campaign manager John Whitehurst plans to tap Waite's entertainment connections as well. There will be celebrity fund-raisers in Los Angeles and New York, and John Boy Walton (actor Richard Thomas), as well as other members of The Walton clan will be enlisted for campaign appearances, Whitehurst said.
by CNB