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

DATE: THURSDAY, September 30, 1993                   TAG: 9309300229
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Richmond bureau
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

DOLAN TAKES CAMPAIGN TO TV

Bill Dolan set out Wednesday to cure what polls suggest ails his campaign for state attorney general: Voters don't know him.

The Democratic nominee, trailing or running even with Republican Jim Gilmore in published polls, began airing a television commercial that repeats his name five times in 30 seconds and sketches the highlights of his resume and campaign platform.

"With the largest portion of the electorate undecided . . . television is an effective means of introducing myself," Dolan said.

While Dolan and Gilmore have been crisscrossing the state since early this year, most media attention has been focused on the campaign for governor between Democrat Mary Sue Terry and Republican George Allen. Those two have been running commercials for weeks, but Dolan is the first candidate for another statewide office to take to the air.

Dick Leggitt, Gilmore's campaign consultant, said the GOP nominee is sticking to a campaign plan that calls for beginning his television advertising later.

In the race for governor Wednesday, aides to Terry and Allen continued their increasingly arcane squabbling over video tapes and trustworthiness.

The Allen camp accused Terry of violating a written, "no use," agreement under which both sides promised not to use videotapes of their debates in advertisements.

On Monday, Terry showed footage of Allen at a July debate to local government officials meeting in Fishersville. That was permitted by the no-use agreement, said campaign consultant Tom King, because it wasn't advertising.

But Ken Stroupe, a spokesman for Allen, said the two sides had a verbal understanding that the debate videotapes wouldn't be used for any purpose.

At day's end, Allen sent Terry a personally signed draft of a new, more specific no-use agreement, covering not only Terry-Allen debate footage but Allen's springtime debates against two rivals for the GOP nomination. The video Terry used in Fishersville "specifically violated your promise," he asserted.

King said Terry will not sign the new draft. "They're afraid that George is finally going to get caught up in his rhetoric," he said of the Allen forces.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB