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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 24, 1992                   TAG: 9203240313
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

STAYING HOME HELPS WILDER

Gov. Douglas Wilder says his gubernatorial performance would have been gravely impaired if he had not abandoned his presidential campaign to concentrate on the 1992 General Assembly.

Virginians "hated my running for president, period," Wilder told The Washington Post. "It was a mistake to even contemplate it."

The governor said he hopes a half-billion-dollar package of bonds for higher education, parks and human services that will be on the ballot this fall can be a lasting and visible legacy of his administration. He vowed to work hard to help them pass.

Wilder, who cannot succeed himself as governor, already has been mentioned as a possible opponent for fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, in 1994. "I haven't ruled that out or in," Wilder said. "Nothing is excluded, and everything is included."

Politicians and analysts disagreed on how much Wilder has improved his image by staying home more since ending his presidential campaign on Jan. 8 - the first day of the General Assembly.

"It's really up to him," said Sen. Robert Calhoun, R-Alexandria. "Doug Wilder has a great ability to charm and persuade. He's just someone who's hard to stay mad at."

Brad Coker, a pollster for the Mason-Dixon polling firm, isn't so sure. "It's going to take a bit more than, `Gee, I'm sorry folks.' The damage is a bit more deep-rooted than that," Coker said.

Wilder's public approval ratings dipped to near 20 percent when he was running for president. A survey last month by the Richmond Times-Dispatch found his approval rating had rebounded to 40 percent.

"The governor is still not popular with the garden variety voter in the commonwealth," said House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton. "It's not too late. There's ample opportunity to really take hold of the reins and exercise leadership" on issues such as closing the funding gaps between rich and poor school districts.

Keywords:
POLITICS

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by CNB