Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 9, 1994 TAG: 9405090005
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARGARET EDDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Approach this election as if you're running for the first time," said the group, which was reeling from the state party's drubbing earlier that month and feared a similar outcome this year.
As the Democrats' June 14 Senate primary approaches, Robb has been pursuing that recommendation - cautiously.
Forsaking the lofty perch of a former governor and a first-term senator, Robb has agreed to debate three lesser-known opponents regularly. The first such encounter came 10 days ago in Fairfax.
There have been none of the "empty chair" encounters staged by Republican Jim Miller when his front-running opponent, Oliver North, fails to show up at an event.
There also are hints that Robb expects to spend a healthy chunk of his war chest on a media campaign that almost certainly will dwarf those of his opponents - state Sen. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount, Richmond attorney Sylvia Clute and Lyndon LaRouche backer Nancy Spannaus.
While campaign aides aren't saying when that blitz will begin, look to mid-month as a likely starting point. Any advertising that Robb does in May probably will go unanswered at least until June by the underfunded opposition.
Aides say such advertising is essential to reintroduce Robb to a state where population turnover is constant. But it's at least as necessary as a way to stir up a semblance of enthusiasm among voters who've read more in recent years about Robb's social dalliances than his Senate accomplishments.
In fact, some campaign watchers who subscribe to the "run like a newcomer" strategy are surprised that Robb isn't already on the air. One explanation is that the senator, despite having raised $1.4 million, is hardly rolling in cash.
While his personal wealth is a hedge against missing any payrolls, Robb is still a long way from the $5 million or more that a campaign against North and several independent candidates could cost.
Robb also may be waiting to better judge the lay of the political landscape. What he's seen thus far could boost his confidence.
His supporters were buoyed by the Fairfax appearance with his opponents. Not only did Goode fail to mount an aggressive assault there, but Robb was widely seen as having the deeper grasp of issues.
Moreover, Robb's campaign staffers have identified what they believe are serious weaknesses in Goode, whom they regard as their chief competitor. His previous stands against the Equal Rights Amendment, gun control and unlimited access to abortion may turn off key Democratic constituencies, they believe.
Still, any overconfidence on Robb's part could be catastrophic for him.
For one thing, the Democratic vote may be fractured this fall even if Robb wins the nomination. Former Gov. Douglas Wilder is sounding increasingly like a candidate. Organizers estimated that at last Tuesday's elections, he gleaned about 3,000 of the 15,000 signatures needed to get on the November ballot as an independent.
August Moon, a colorful and sometimes-controversial Richmond political activist who's being paid by Wilder to help coordinate the drive, said he expects supporters to be out in force at churches in black neighborhoods and elsewhere on Sundays during May. He hopes the drive will be complete by June 1, Moon said.
Nor can Robb assume that Goode or Clute won't catch on with voters.
Politicians always promise to "run scared."
This time, Robb has no other choice.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB