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

DATE: FRIDAY, November 5, 1993                   TAG: 9311050140
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ANALYSTS SAY ELECTION HURT ROBB, WILDER, NORTH

Some Democrats openly question whether the party might be better off next year with someone other than Sen. Charles Robb or Gov. Douglas Wilder as its Senate nominee, fearing that feuding between the two has alienated voters.

And Republican front-runner Oliver North's future was clouded by the defeat of GOP lieutenant governor candidate Mike Farris, who, like North, has close ties to religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and other Christian conservatives.

Robb and Wilder may have been damaged the most, because many activists and analysts hold them partly responsible for a voter backlash against Virginia Democrats that helped doom the gubernatorial candidacy of Mary Sue Terry.

Robb's highly publicized personal problems and the burning animosity between Wilder and Robb have soured many voters on their party and on them personally, analysts said.

Tuesday's election results "should be viewed as a serious warning shot across the bow of Chuck Robb and Doug Wilder," said Mark J. Rozell, a political scientist at Mary Washington College. "Democrats will be looking for alternatives to them."

Farris's defeat, analysts said, showed Democrats that they may be able undermine North's candidacy by portraying him as an extremist. And although North remains the favorite for the GOP nomination, one of his lesser-known rivals, Jim Miller, has begun comparing himself to Gov.-elect George Allen, who was not well known across the state before his gubernatorial campaign began. Several of Allen's key supporters also back Miller.

Rozell said that "even in an unprecedented Republican year, Mike Farris lost in a landslide. That should give Oliver North pause. . . . Some of the really crafty political people who support Jim Miller" could present problems for North.

North could not be reached for comment.

For Democrats, the loss of the governorship after three victories sparked immediate recriminations, with speculation focused on next year's Senate race.

"I have to say there was some mumbling and grumbling" on election night among Democrats dissatisfied with both Robb and Wilder, said Harris Miller, former Fairfax County Democratic chairman and an adviser to Lt. Gov. Don Beyer.

"There's certainly some sense that even though Ollie North has blemishes, unfortunately Robb and Wilder do also," Miller said. "There was a strong vote for change. There will be some internal analysis over the next few weeks."

Thus far, however, Robb and Wilder have shown no signs of backing away from the Senate race, and their advisers predict that will not change. As long as Robb and Wilder are in the race, it's unlikely that any other prominent Democrats will join in.

Glenn Davidson, Wilder's chief of staff, said that "whoever runs, it doesn't make any difference; the governor intends to run. We all look on [a Senate campaign] as an opportunity to set the record straight. We have a wonderful story to tell."

Robb acknowledged his political problems: "I regret that I wasn't able to be as helpful to this year's ticket as I might have been to campaigns in the past." But a spokeswoman for Robb said his plans to seek re-election are firm.

Several Democrats predicted privately that the only incentive that might entice Robb and Wilder to withdraw from the race would be political appointments from the Clinton administration. Rumors of such appointments were circulating widely this week, but there was no evidence that the administration was considering that.

Keywords:
POLITICS