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

DATE: MONDAY, March 23, 1992                   TAG: 9203230088
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Dwayne Yancey
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOODLATTE NEARING NOMINATION

More evidence that the Republican contest is a one-person race: At last Tuesday's Roanoke GOP mass meeting, Bob Goodlatte presented a slate of more than 110 people seeking delegate slots on his behalf. Lynchburg businesswoman Donna Erikson, who is paying a lot of attention to the media but little to the party machinery, filed none.

Only in Lynchburg has she managed to put together a partial slate of any size - 13 people, apparently her neighbors. Goodlatte filed 41. The Goodlatte forces that dominated the Lynchburg meeting went ahead and elected Erikson's delegates as well, simply as a gesture of goodwill.

The unofficial delegate count to date: Goodlatte 185, Erikson 15.

Needed to win: 215.

Goodlatte expects to put a mathematical lock on the nomination when Rockingham County holds its mass meeting Thursday.

\ Heads up!

Look for the tone of the race for the Democratic nomination to turn sharper as the April 11 and 13 mass meetings draw nearer. Look, too, for backers of John Edwards and Steve Musselwhite to try to portray John Fishwick as having sold out to labor unions to win their unofficial support.

"I'm getting a lot of strength because I'm a coalition builder," says Edwards, who's got the official AFL-CIO endorsement but is also eager to point to business support he's drawing.

Meanwhile, Musselwhite is trying to stay above the fray while Edwards and Fishwick scrap for the labor vote. "These guys are fighting over every vote," he says. "I'm trying to focus my campaign on what I think will help me win the nomination."

Translation: He's trying to put together Gov. Gerald Baliles' coalition, which rested heavily on moderates and independents.

What does Fishwick think about the charge he's gone too far toward adopting a union-based strategy in a right-to-work state? "We have a broad-based coalition, a classic Democratic coalition," he says.

\ Roanoke Democrats opt for firehouse primary

Roanoke Democrats adopted a major rules change over the weekend for their April 11 mass meeting. In fact, they won't hold a mass meeting at all, but instead will hold what's commonly called a "firehouse primary."

As with a mass meeting, there'll be just one polling place - William Fleming High School. But as with a primary, Democrats may stop by anytime from noon to 5 p.m. to cast their ballot in both the congressional and presidential race.

However, under state party rules, the voting is semi-public. After registration, each participant must publicly ask for either an Edwards, Fishwick or Musselwhite ballot.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB