Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410170032
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Long
Republican George Landrith wears his black cowboy boots on the campaign trail for two reasons.
First of all, he says, they're comfortable, an important factor when a candidate's been traveling the sprawling 5th District for close to eight months. Second, he understands the boots' symbolic ties to George Allen - whose successful grassroots campaign for governor last year Landrith hopes to recapture.
Landrith supporters have embraced the catch phrase, "One more George!"
The boots are a telltale sign of Landrith's political philosophy as he attempts to unseat incumbent Democrat L.F. Payne in a race that has generated more excitement than expected.
Landrith's message - like his boots - is one he says voters can find comfort in: less government, less taxes, and traditional family values.
If it sounds like George Allen, all the better.
"I'm a George Allen Republican," said Landrith, who lives in Albemarle County and has a friendship with the governor that dates back to Allen's days in the House of Delegates. "George Allen and I believe in people controlling their own lives and their businesses."
And that's what he's been telling voters in an aggressive campaign since February. Landrith has raised more than $200,000 - a sum that didn't go unnoticed by the national Republican Party.
The party - viewing the 5th District race as winnable - said last week it will give Landrith $60,000, the maximum allowed by law. A Republican hasn't represented the 5th District in Congress in more than a century.
Fifth District GOP leaders say Landrith is running a smart campaign.
"When he announced his bid, I really didn't think much of his chances," said Franklin County Republican Party Chairman Carthan Currin. "But he's been out there shaking hands and his message has been consistent. He's really running an effective campaign."
Sam Vernon of Collinsville held up a Landrith sign at a news conference in Martinsville on Tuesday. Vernon said he's voted for Payne since he was elected to Congress in 1988, but not this year.
"I like the message George is sending out," Vernon said. "I just don't agree with Payne's voting record. He voted for NAFTA, and that's hurt a lot of workers around here."
A few hours earlier in Bedford, Bill Huff sat in a lawn chair inside the Republican headquarters on Bridge Street and listened as Landrith called for term limits and restrictions on the congressional franking privilege.
"George Landrith will look you in the eye and give you an answer that doesn't come out of both sides of his mouth," Huff said.
Landrith, 33, has criss-crossed the district, getting to every nook and cranny. He's telling voters about the need for government reform based on Bill Clinton's declining approval rating and Payne's voting record - a record the Republican says mirrors Clinton's agenda.
Landrith brings up Clinton's name about as much as he does Payne's, and for good reason, he says.
Political pundits, such as the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato, say the 5th District race is like many around the country, in which an incumbent Democrat could be ousted because of voter dislike of Clinton.
"I didn't get in this race because I thought it was going to be an easy year to win," Landrith said. "I got in the race because it's an important year to win. I can't think of a better time to be running against L.F. Payne than in a year when his chief ally, Bill Clinton, has become exposed for what he really is - a cheap and tawdry politician who doesn't care much about what he says."
Sabato also has called Landrith a "blank slate."
Landrith's reply to that?
While not denying that Clinton's unpopularity presents an opportunity for him, he says he's a clear choice for voters who are looking for a fresh political outlook.
"I'm not a Washington insider and I'm not a friend of Bill Clinton's. What people want is someone who will stand up and fight for principle. I'm hard headed enough to do what I say I'm going to do. I have one answer to every question. Not three or four depending on who my audience is."
Democrats in the 5th - even party leaders in Charlottesville - say they don't know much about Landrith. A lawyer specializing in small business issues, he has never sought elective office before. He has been a member of the Albemarle County School Board since 1992.
"He's just sort of parachuted in here and now he's running for Congress," said George Gilliam, a Charlottesville lawyer and prominent Democratic activist. "He's not somebody that's been involved in the community-based activities."
Rhoda Dreyfus, Albemarle County's Democratic Party chairwoman, said Landrith is not a household name. "He hasn't made much of a name for himself on the School Board," she said.
The Payne campaign has picked up on that theme, recently conducting a poll that painted Landrith as an outsider who went to college in Utah and worked as a lawyer in Los Angeles.
So, if Landrith isn't well-known in his hometown, how can he pull off an upset of Payne in a district that includes 20 localities from Charlottesville to Danville?
Landrith says it's an advantage that he hasn't climbed the political and social ladders that many congressional candidates do. "I'm a scoutmaster. If that's not being involved in the community, I don't know what is. But the bottom line is I'm a family man who is trying to make a difference. Quite frankly, I'm not rich and this campaign is putting a strain on my family."
Landrith and his wife of 12 years, Laura, have four children: Carl, 9; David, 6; Jenae, 4; and Rachel, 2. They've all taken part in the campaign.
Landrith said a comment made by Carl is one of the reasons he decided to run against Payne. Told that his dad was considering a run for Congress, Carl Landrith said: "Aren't those the bad guys?"
\ Landrith's political roots reach back to his grandfather, who once was appointed by Gov. Mills Godwin to the state Transportation Board. Godwin remains a Landrith family friend.
Landrith was born and raised in Fairfax County, where his father is a retired schoolteacher and his mother is a secretary for the CIA.
Phil Welker, who coached Landrith in track at Oakton High School, remembers Landrith as courteous and always upbeat. "He wasn't a brilliant performer, but he was a hard worker," said Welker, now retired and living in Nelson County. "He always did a little better than I expected him to."
Landrith attended college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, from 1980 to 1984. He also spent time in Los Angeles, an 18-month stint shortly after he graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1988.
Landrith said it was a family decision to move to California. The father of Landrith's wife, Laura, died and her mother needed help raising four younger children.
"Virginia is my home," says Landrith.
Landrith is a Mormon, an uncommon denomination in Virginia. He didn't publicize his religious faith and he didn't want to after announcing his candidacy.
"It's not an issue in this race," he said.
But the Payne campaign used his religious affiliation in a poll conducted last month among selected 5th District voters. The question was quickly picked up by the media.
Landrith, who says he's proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was stung by the polling tactics.
"I thought L.F. Payne was a gentleman until I found out about that," he said.
Now that his religion has become part of the race, Landrith talks openly about it. "I respect people of all faiths and all religions. I'm a Christian, I believe deeply in the savior, but I respect all other people whether they believe in the savior or not."
Another issue: tobacco.
It's a major cash crop in the 5th District. It's against Mormon beliefs to smoke or chew it. Is that a problem if Landrith is elected?
He says no, that tobacco use is a personal choice, and government shouldn't interfere. He has lambasted Payne for agreeing to a proposed tobacco tax increase, although Payne was instrumental in negotiating the original $1.25 increase down to 45 cents, and even that didn't pass. Payne's role won praise from some tobacco interests, but not from Landrith.
"I wouldn't have given an inch," he said.
While Landrith sides with choice in regards to tobacco, he is anti-abortion.
Payne supports abortion rights.
Both candidates are in favor of parental notification.
"I believe there's a group of voters out there who go to church on Sunday and go to work on Monday. That's the people that George Landrith appeals to," the Republican said.
Landrith distinguishes that group of voters from the "religious right" tag. As of last week, he said, two of the Virginia figures most associated with the religious right - Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson - had not contributed to his campaign.
Falwell, however, has expressed his support for Landrith, even though the Liberty University president disagrees with Mormon beliefs.
Landrith says he won't turn down anybody's support on Election Day.
"I want L.F. Payne to vote for me," he said.
Keywords:
POLITICS PROFILE
by CNB