Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 11, 1993 TAG: 9305110099
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Linkous notified Steve Cochran, vice chairman of the county Democratic Party, of his decision Monday afternoon.
Linkous' status in the party became uncertain following his participation in the Republican 12th District House of Delegates mass meeting Saturday.
Linkous, a Blacksburg businessman, was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1991 as a Democrat.
He attended the mass meeting as a supporter of Blacksburg businessman Pat Cupp, who lost the Republican nomination to run for the 12th District House seat to county Supervisor Nick Rush of Christiansburg. Linkous also served on the mass meeting's Resolutions Committee.
Linkous said Monday that he has been considering dropping out of the Democratic Party for some time. Although he has no argument with local members, Democratic leaders on the state and national level have taken stands that he cannot agree with, he said.
Although Linkous feels he is probably more in tune with Republican philosophy, he said he hasn't decided whether he will join the GOP. He wants to talk with leaders first to make sure that the Republican Party is where he should be.
Cochran said he was disappointed when he received notice from Linkous on Monday afternoon. Linkous had also tried to call him but the two hadn't talked personally yet, Cochran said.
Linkous wrote Cochran that he could no longer, in good conscience, let Montgomery countians think that he supported the actions of state and national Democratic leaders.
Cochran said he knew Linkous had conservative beliefs but that he had felt the umbrella of the Democratic Party was big enough to gather him in. "We were proud when he decided to run as a Democrat and think a lot of Larry."
A lot of people in the Democratic Party will be very disappointed, Cochran said.
Cochran said he has received three or four phone calls from Democrats who were concerned about Linkous' participation in the Republican meeting.
News reports of the meeting took him by surprise, Cochran said.
"I didn't expect to come home and see that one of our elected officials had attended a Republican meeting." Cochran had been in Richmond over the weekend for the state Democratic Party convention.
Linkous is regarded as a conservative politically, and Republicans at Saturday's meeting were not too surprised to see him there.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB