Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409160068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARGARET EDDS and WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND NOTE: ABOVE LENGTH: Long
Declaring that "I will fight no more, forever," Douglas Wilder turned Virginia's U.S. Senate race topsy-turvy Thursday by withdrawing as an independent candidate.
The abrupt departure, following publication of polls showing Wilder trailing badly in the four-person race, was widely viewed as a huge plus for his longtime political rival, U.S. Sen. Charles Robb.
Wilder's departure, analysts say, gives Robb a clear shot at uniting the Democratic Party and recapturing the sizable bloc of black voters who backed Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor.
While Wilder made no mention of Robb in withdrawing, Robb said during a campaign appearance at a Richmond middle school that "there's no question the withdrawal of Gov. Wilder is a significant opportunity for my campaign. This has to accrue to my advantage."
Some analysts, however, said the race's remaining independent, former Attorney General Marshall Coleman, also might benefit. With both Robb and Republican Oliver North viewed negatively by much of the electorate, Coleman now is positioned to establish himself as the only alternative.
Wasting no time in claiming that mantle, Coleman, in Roanoke, declared, "I am the alternative. ... The message we need to send to the rest of the country is we demand truthfulness, lawfulness and dignity from our public officials."
The news was not as good for North, who had been counting on Wilder to split the Democratic vote and attack Robb on character issues. North, who faces credibility problems stemming from his role in the Iran-Contra affair, often has acknowledged that his prospects are enhanced by a four-way race.
Mark Merritt, a spokesman for North, put the best face on the development, calling it a "terrible day for Chuck Robb." Merritt pointed to a Virginia Commonwealth University poll suggesting that Wilder's departure puts Robb and North in a dead heat of 37 percent for North and 36 percent for Robb.
"Wilder's out of the race and we should be down by 10 points," he said. Instead, "we're right where we want to be."
Another pollster questioned the validity of VCU's results, which were achieved by redistributing Wilder's supporters in an earlier poll according to their second choice. The 37-36 split "to me is a little strange," said Brad Coker, president of Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research, which also is polling in the Virginia race. "I don't see North getting any votes from Doug Wilder."
Wilder's dramatic withdrawal was set in motion by polls issued Wednesday by Mason-Dixon and VCU. Both showed him with less than 14 percent of the vote, dashing his expectations that he would have moved to within striking distance of Robb.
Wilder was informed of those results in a telephone call from campaign manager Glenn Davidson as he left a Roanoke campaign appearance early Wednesday afternoon. As described by spokesman Dan Conley, who listened in on the conversation, Davidson outlined two options to Wilder: "To go nuclear on Robb or to get out of the race altogether."
Wilder, who was riding in his car as they spoke, gave directions to cancel the rest of his schedule, and he returned to Richmond. That night, Wilder, Davidson, Conley and Wilder's son met at the former governor's home to cement the decision to withdraw.
"We just looked at it as a poker game," said Conley. "We'd made our last draw. We looked at our hand, and we said, 'We can't bluff our way through this.'"
As he entered his downtown Richmond office on the way to meet with staff and volunteers at noon Thursday, Wilder brushed aside a barrage of questions from reporters. His only comment was a six-paragraph statement in which he thanked supporters and said his low standing in the polls made it impossible for him to raise campaign money.
He ignored a question about whether he would endorse Robb. The only hint was contained in the closing sentence of his statement. "Finally, I will say that I have always been elected as a Democrat, I entered this race as a Democrat, and I leave it the same way," Wilder said. Robb said, he hopes to speak to Wilder soon. "I would welcome his support when he's comfortable in doing so."
The decision came after a 10-day stretch in which Robb was endorsed by several prominent blacks, including Rep. Robert Scott, D - Newport News, and legendary civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Meanwhile, Wilder was backed by a large contingent of black ministers, increasing speculation that his continued candidacy would split Democrats and enable North to win.
The departure seemed an ignominious end to a 25-year political career that saw Wilder rise from the state Senate to the pinnacle of black political achievement. But since his historic 1989 election as governor, his attempts to move higher have failed. Nineteen months after taking office, Wilder stunned Virginians by launching a presidential bid. He withdrew less than four months later with polls showing him losing support at home and trailing in a six-man field.
Last year, he all but promised a bid for the Senate, and threatened to run as an independent if the Democratic Party didn't nominate by a primary election. A month after the party accommodated him, Wilder dropped out of the race.
Then, last spring, he resurfaced as an independent candidate, vowing that "there aren't any circumstances at all" in which he would withdraw. He defied pressure from Vice President Al Gore and other Democrats to remain loyal to the party.
"What we've seen is sort of a political tragedy," said Paul Goldman, a political strategist who helped mastermind Wilder's victories for lieutenant governor and governor but was not part of the Senate campaign. "At some point, he started getting in and getting out, or getting out and getting in and getting out again," Goldman added. "It's hard to understand how they got into this posture that was a no-win posture."
Both Wilder and his aides seemed to take pains to quell speculation that Wilder might try to re-enter the Senate race. "It's over," Conley said. "He's not going to be back in the race, he's not going to campaign, he's not going to be a factor in this election." Michael Brown, secretary of the state Board of Elections, said he has sent a message to registrars across the state to omit Wilder's name from voting machine ballots, which are soon to be printed. He said it is too late, however, to remove Wilder's name from paper ballots that are primarily used by absentee voters.
Staff writer Dwayne Yancey contributed information to this story.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB