Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 17, 1994 TAG: 9404170054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Dan Clemente, a McLean businessman, has raised several thousand dollars and hired a canvassing firm to gather signatures for a Coleman-for-Senate petition that would put Coleman on the ballot as an independent in the November election.
Clemente wants to capitalize on opposition to former Iran-Contra figure Oliver North, who is competing for the Republican nomination with Jim Miller, budget director in the Reagan administration. North has admitted he lied to Congress during its investigation of the arms-for-hostages deals.
"The prospect of North running is something, as a Republican, I could not stand," Clemente said.
Clemente said Coleman, a Republican lawyer who lives in McLean, is aware of the activity on his behalf.
Coleman was out of town Saturday and did not return telephone messages. Earlier this week, he declined to rule out running, but said, "All I'm talking about now is my support for Jim Miller."
Clemente said Coleman is committed to Miller, but Clemente doesn't think Miller will get the GOP's nod. "We need a contingency plan," he said.
"If Jim Miller is nominated, I probably won't give the petitions to Marshall. But if Ollie North is nominated, I'll be in a position to say to Marshall, `Here's the 15,000 signatures and a bank account, and the balance is this much,' " Clemente said. "We can make a credible case that Marshall is a viable candidate."
Miller spokesman Jonathan Baron said Coleman has been a strong supporter of Miller. He deflected questions about how a possible candidacy by Coleman could affect Miller's nomination campaign, saying, "The way to win this race is to nominate Jim Miller, so the Republicans have a united conservative front, and we can go on to take the seat from Chuck Robb."
Coleman ran for governor in 1981 and 1989, losing first to U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, the Democratic incumbent in the current race, then to former Democratic Gov. Douglas Wilder.
Wilder also is considering joining the race. He announced Friday that he has authorized a petition drive to put him on the ballot as an independent.
Wilder said he would get into the race if the Democrats nominated Robb in a June 14 primary and the Republicans picked North at a June 3-4 convention in Richmond.
North and Robb are the apparent front-runners in their respective parties.
While North has been questioned repeatedly about his Iran-Contra role, Robb has been dogged by allegations of a party lifestyle that allegedly included watching other people use drugs while he was governor.
"There's no question that if North and Robb are the nominees, there will be at least one and probably two competitive, independent candidates of some stature," said Thomas Morris, a political analyst and the president of Emory & Henry College.
"If North gets the nomination, I think conditions are ripe for some big-name Republican to get in the race as an independent," said Mark Rozell, a political analyst at Mary Washington College. "I don't think the public is going to stand for having to choose between North and Robb."
Robb's primary opponents are Richmond lawyer Sylvia Clute; state Sen. Virgil Goode, D-Rocky Mount; and Lyndon LaRouche supporter Nancy Spannaus.
All four filed petitions to be on the ballot by Friday's deadline. The state Democratic Party will announce this week whether they qualified for the ballot. Each had to collect signatures of 15,000 registered voters.
To run as independents, Wilder and Coleman would have to file petitions with 15,000 signatures of registered voters by June 14.
If they joined the Democratic and Republican nominees in a four-way race Nov. 8, the winner might need less than 30 percent of the vote.
"The candidate with the most fervent supporters benefits most, and that person is Ollie North," Rozell said.
"The equation works to North's benefit," agreed Mark Goodin, a senior adviser to North's campaign. "When you split the electorate four ways, North has the clear advantage, because he has the most committed supporters."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB