Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 5, 1994 TAG: 9409060065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY and MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
How do you see the Senate race unfolding from here on out?
Tom Morris, Emory & Henry College: "We have to get a reading on the independent candidates and whether they're significant factors. A boost for Oliver North could be bad news for the independents, if it has the effect of rallying the anti-North vote around the most competitive candidate, which has been Chuck Robb.
"The two most important groups are one, those who would vote for anybody to keep North out of office, and two, those who would vote for anybody to keep Robb from being re-elected. Those are two very amorphous and overlapping constituencies. The issue for the fall is which one of those groups will become the most potent. Marshall Coleman's constituency is almost exclusively among those two groups."
Bob Roberts, James Madison University: "The conventional wisdom is it'll be a bloodbath. [If Douglas Wilder and Marshall Coleman fall too far behind], they'll have to go on the attack, viciously, and get people to face the character issue. I don't think it'll work. I think this is going to be a referendum on Clinton. That gives North the ability, if he can, to nationalize the race. That helps North. Everything seems to be falling in place for North. You see the Democratic Party on its tail in the state, very depressed, leaderless, not able to organize anything on the grass roots. North does very well unless the Democrats get their act together."
Bob Holsworth, Virginia Commonwealth University: "Oliver North is likely to remain first or second. The next question is who lays claim to the mantle of the guy who can beat him? The problem with Robb is he can't afford to fall much further behind. If he falls another six or seven points, the question is, can he be really win? If he falls further, then it becomes possible for one of the two independents. Even though Robb is the incumbent, this campaign is about North. The race is so defined by North; he's shaping the agenda."
Black leaders back Robb
A group of black Roanoke Valley Democrats who have supported Douglas Wilder in his previous runs for statewide office said last week they can't support the former governor's independent Senate campaign.
Instead, the 11 well-known Democratic activists - mostly ministers - gathered in City Council chambers to urge members of the black community to support Democratic incumbent Robb's bid to keep his seat.
"Let's lay race aside and let's line up behind Chuck Robb," said Bishop Spencer Manns Jr., who leads Holy Gospel Church No.4. "If we divide, we will be conquered. Let's lay race aside, just for a moment, and vote our conscience."
"I feel [Wilder's] deserting me, I'm not deserting him," said the Rev. Ben Tyree of Back Creek Baptist. There's no reason "to support a man who doesn't have the chance to win, just because of his skin color."
The Rev. Charles T. Green, president of the local NAACP and organizer of Friday's news conference, said he never considered supporting Wilder. "A lot of people realize that Wilder knows he can't win," he said.
Tune in Tuesday
The four Senate candidates will take part in a televised debate Tuesday night - so far, the only one scheduled.
The debate, which will take place at Hampden-Sydney College, will run from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
In Roanoke, WDBJ-TV (Channel 7) will carry the debate live. It also will be on C-SPAN.
This will be a debate with a moderator - CNN anchorwoman Judy Woodruff - but no panel of pesky journalists. Instead, the candidates will go at each other, mano-a-mano.
Or should that be mano-a-mano-a-mano-a-mano?
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB