Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 23, 1993 TAG: 9309230214
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
In a noontime campaign stopover at a busy campus plaza, Farris delivered a standard stump speech (slightly customized with comments on higher education and tuition increases), and took questions from the crowd of approximately 60 people.
Among them were Lynn Morris and her two home-schooled children, 8-year-old Whitney and her older brother, Fielding. Farris, a father of eight children, autographed a campaign brochure for Whitney and told Fielding he'd keep his name in mind when it came time to name the son his wife, Vicki, is due to deliver in two weeks.
The personal attention thrilled the Morris siblings. "They're real excited about it," Lynn Morris said.
Farris, founder of the Leesburg-based Home School Legal Defense Fund and a former Moral Majority state president, is running against incumbent Democrat Donald Beyer in what most observers considered a long-shot candidacy.
In the last two weeks, however, newspaper and university polls have shown Farris within 4 to 5 percentage points of the Beyer, a Northern Virginia Volvo dealer. The polls have shown Beyer's percentage in the high 30s.
"If I was an incumbent running for re-election and I was in the 30s only 40 days out from the election, I'd be scared to death," Farris said.
Farris is a lawyer and ordained Baptist minister who describes himself as a mainstream conservative.
Criticized by Democrats as being a foe of separation of church and state in the past, Farris largely avoided that contentious issue Wednesday and focused on the ideological change offered by the Republican ticket. He's running with gubernatorial candidate George Allen and the front-runner for attorney general, Henrico County prosecutor James Gilmore.
The GOP ticket represents a change from the "tax and spend, borrow and spend, fight and spend" Democratic leadership that has controlled Virginia's executive branch since 1982, Farris said.
He and his running mates believe in less government regulation and reduced bureaucracy, particularly when it comes to public schools and universities, such as Radford.
"The Republicans are focusing on what's right for the next generation," Farris said. "I think we need a creative, energetic new generation of leadership in Virginia that we can be proud of once again."
He cited a series of articles published last week by the Roanoke Times & World-News and newspapers across the state about the status of public higher education. One article noted that John Casteen, the University of Virginia's president, has more aides than Gov. Douglas Wilder.
That's an example of misplaced priorities, Farris said.
"The problem in the K through 12 system of overspending on bureaucracy and underspending on teachers and textbooks" exists in the university system as well, he said.
In response to a question from a supporter, Farris also cited Allen's plan to limit college tuition increases to the rate of inflation as a way of keeping higher education affordable.
"They shouldn't be able to increase by 10, 20, 30 and 40 percent tuition costs, especially since they're spending tuition money so unwisely," Farris said.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB