Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 4, 1994 TAG: 9402040146
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Democrats in the 6th District say they are searching for a candidate and admit time is running out to field a strong contender.
"If somebody's going to do something, February is the time," says Onzlee Ware, district party chairman. "Much beyond that, it's going to make it that much tougher."
Ware says he has been trying to recruit several potential candidates and optimistically puts the odds of finding a challenger at "about 75 percent."
But other Democratic leaders around the district say they have all but given up hope of finding someone to run against Goodlatte, who was elected in 1992 with 60 percent of the vote in a race against Vinton insurance executive Steve Musselwhite.
"I truly have been asking everyone, `Is there anyone going to run?' " says Mary Margaret Cash, the Democratic chairwoman in Lynchburg. "I guess the perception is, Goodlatte doesn't look particularly vulnerable."
"There don't seem to be any galvanizing issues," Cash said, "and the defeat last fall [in the statewide elections] probably scared off some who would be thinking about it. There's a psychological thing - the Republicans are on a roll in Virginia right now. It'll all change with time."
In the past few weeks, Democratic activists have kicked around at least three names for potential challengers - Roanoke lawyer John Fishwick, who narrowly lost the party nomination to Musselwhite in 1992; Roanoke Mayor David Bowers; and National Business College President Frank Longaker of Botetourt County, who ran a strong Ross Perot-style independent bid for the state Senate in 1991.
But none appears interested.
Fishwick told his supporters last fall that for "personal and professional" reasons, he would not run for Congress this year.
Longaker says he is "not planning to run for a political office," although many activists in both parties believe he is itching for a rematch with state Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo, R-Fincastle, in 1995.
And Bowers says he has not been approached about running for Congress and likes his job. "Being mayor of Roanoke is like being in the catbird seat," he says.
Virginia Tech political analyst Bob Denton says he would not be surprised if no Democrat comes forward.
The district's conservative leanings have long made it a Republican stronghold, he noted, with Democratic former Rep. Jim Olin winning only under unusual circumstances - a divided Republican Party and a recession that made 1982 a good election for Democrats nationwide.
"If anyone wants to be viable this year, they should have already started kicking tires and making some noise, to see if there's any interest at all," Denton says. "It's almost too late now. I'd be surprised if anyone would come out now."
Keywords:
POLITICS
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.