Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 16, 1994 TAG: 9404160019
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE and MARGARET EDDS STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Wilder's announcement injected new confusion into the tumultous Senate race on a day when other questions were being clarified.
Incumbent Sen. Charles Robb and Richmond lawyer Sylvia Clute turned in their petitions Friday, apparently setting the field of candidates for the June 14 Democratic primary at four. As long as the petition-signers are verifiedas registered voters, the primary ballot will list Robb; Clute; state Sen. Virgil Goode of Franklin County; and Nancy Spannaus, a follower of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche.
Meanwhile, financial reports filed Friday showed Republican Oliver L. North leading the pack in fundraising. North, one of two candidates seeking the GOP nomination, has collected $4.5 million and has spent all but $820,000 of that.
North's campaign claimed that his donor base - 112,000 individuals - is the largest for any non-presidential campaign in American history.
His opponent in the June 3-4 GOP convention, former federal budget director Jim Miller has raised $546,500, and has $102,700 remaining.
On the Democratic side, Robb has raised $1.4 million and has $1.1 million on hand. Clute, who formally launched her campaign Friday with a state tour, has raised $40,000 and has $1,000 left. Goode, who has not formally declared his candidacy, was not required to file. The Spannaus campaign could not be contacted.
Wilder, who during a 25-year political career has always run as a Democrat, said he waited to make his intentions known until the Democratic primary filing deadline had passed. Independent candidates do not have to file the almost-15,000 signatures required by law until June 14 - the day of the Democratic primary.
"I didn't want to obfuscate or confuse people" by beginning to circulate petitions prior to the Democrat's deadline, he said in an interview. He is taking the independent route because "I wanted to give myself the greatest latitude with time.
"I want to monitor how the nominating process takes place and be prepared [to run] in the event I need to or have to," he said.
Wilder, who has shown open contempt for Robb and has also criticized North, refused to say if their nominations would result in his definitely running. "I wouldn't be that final," he said. "But the inclinations are such that they move me further along the road than ever before even now."
Wilder is friends with Goode, who made a gubernatorial nominating speech on Wilder's behalf, and several of Wilder's associates have predicted that the former governor will sit out the race if Goode is nominated.
Wilder declined to verify those opinions. "I'm going to monitor it and look at it and make a decision," he said.
Wilder urged Democrats to use the primary to select their candidate, then stunned many when he announced he would not run in it in January. His decision to run as an independent would surely raise the ire of long-time Democratic supporters.
"The party accomodated Gov. Wilder and I hope that if he runs, he runs as a Democrat," Democratic Party Chairman Mark R. Warner said last week.
Wilder said he plans to meet with a group of supporters this weekend to plan strategy, and that he expects to hire staff and open an office within the next few weeks. It is widely expected that his former press secretary, Glenn K. Davidson, will run the initial campaign effort.
But Wilder's longtime political strategist, Paul Goldman, may not be involved. Wilder said he has not spoken with Goldman about the prospective campaign.
Goldman, a former state Democratic Party chairman consulting now for Washington D.C. mayoral candidate John Ray, said he will support Goode in the Democratic primary. After that, "who knows what's going to happen," he said.
A spokesman for Robb was reluctant to address Wilder's possible candidacy. "I don't know what Gov. Wilder's going to do," said Bert Rohrer. "We'll wait and see."
Robb submitted 20,620 signatures to the state Board of Elections to qualify for the June ballot. That was far less than the 38,000 signatures collected by Goode. Spannaus submitted 33,000 signatures and Clute turned in 18,000.
Rohrer dismissed speculation that the petitions reflect voter discontent with Robb, who been has burdened by reports of womanizing and associating with a fast crowd in Virginia Beach 10 years ago.
"I didn't know we were in a signature race," Rohrer said. He acknowledged, however, that after months of signature gathering, the campaign hired a professional firm last week to complete the task.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB