Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 12, 1994 TAG: 9402120195
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I guess I think the senator may find it very, very difficult to handle criticism that will come to him in the campaign, therefore the Democratic Party may be better off to have a different candidate," Olin said. "I'm not going to elaborate on the various problems he might have. I'll leave that to your imagination."
Olin's break with Robb caught many Roanoke Valley Democrats by surprise, but they generally believe it will have little impact.
"Jim has always been an independent thinker," said Warren Campbell, the former Roanoke County Democratic chairman who is a key Robb supporter in the Roanoke Valley. "But he was not someone who was active in the party or involved in the trenches. He does not command a political machine."
Symbolically, though, Olin's defection lends a degree of credibility to Clute's shoestring campaign, say some of the state's political analysts.
"It's helpful to Clute in that someone who once held elected office is in her corner and it gives her attention away from Richmond," said Virginia Commonwealth University analyst Bob Holsworth.
He says it also may show there's an untapped reservoir of Democrats who believe Robb has been fatally wounded by allegations that he once had an affair with a Roanoke beauty queen and that during the 1980s he attended parties in Virginia Beach where drugs were used.
"It's an indication that there are probably many Democrats who would like to turn the page and start with a new candidate," Holsworth said. "But my feeling is, regardless of whether that's their preference, right now there's a feeling among many other Democrats that they will hold onto the seat. Robb is ahead of [likely Republican nominee Oliver] North in most polls."
But University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato, who has been more critical of Robb, exclaimed "good Lord!" when he learned about Olin.
"Apparently, he's the first Democrat who's decided to stand up and say the emperor has no clothes. That's very interesting."
This week, Olin and his wife, Phyllis, mailed out invitations to Roanoke Valley Democrats to meet Clute at a reception at their home Feb. 24.
At the time, the former congressman, who represented the 6th District in Washington from 1983 to 1993, said that did not mean he was endorsing Clute yet.
Instead, Olin said his wife was backing Clute, but he was waiting to see whether Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Newport News, enters the race.
On Friday, however, Scott said he would not enter the race - and Olin said that firmly put him in the Clute camp. "Yes, it does," he said. Scott's decision not to run "is a real boost for Clute. I think she is a very serious candidate. She doesn't know a lot about politics, but she knows a lot about state and federal issues."
He said Clute has been "making steady headway" in recent weeks.
The latest polls show Robb winning 56 percent of the vote in June's Democratic primary to Clute's 19 percent. But the same Mason-Dixon poll also showed that Clute, despite her obscurity, still might be able to beat North. In a North-Clute matchup, the poll gave Clute 34 percent to North's 31 percent - essentially tied when the poll's margin of error is taken into consideration.
Robb's campaign manager, Susan Platt, had little to say Friday about Olin, except "apparently he has some erroneous information" about Robb's inability to defend himself in a campaign mud fight.
But Clute hailed Olin's endorsement as a "major turning point" in her campaign.
"I just need a couple [prominent Democrats] to take that step and many others will follow," Clute said. Then, "I'm just going to wait for Robb to self-destruct, which is something he's good at, and I'll be the next U.S. senator."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB