
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 20, 1994                   TAG: 9410200080
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MARYE SIZES UP THE COMPETITION

State Sen. Madison Marye isn't exactly shaking in his shoes at the prospect of three Republicans vying to take him on next year.

The veteran Democrat from Shawsville said Wednesday that he will wait until late winter to announce whether he will run for a sixth term.

"It's never been my policy to announce before the session if I'm going to run or not," Marye said.

Meanwhile, he wants to see how the competition shapes up among the three New River Valley Republicans.

Real-estate broker Pat Cupp, lawyer Jimmy Turk, son of U.S. District Judge James Turk, and clothier Gary Weddle say they're considering making a state Senate run next year. But all have postponed a formal announcement until after next month's election.

The 39th Senate District includes Montgomery, Grayson, Smyth and parts of Pulaski and Carroll counties. Weddle and Turk would have to move from Radford to become residents of the district; Cupp lives in Blacksburg.

As for which man he would rather run against, Marye was noncommittal: "They're all cut from the same cloth, I guess. That wouldn't matter to me at all.

"They're going to have to settle some issues between themselves," Marye said. "I can't see any point at all in me taking a position on what they're going to do now. I'm just going to sit back and wait and see what develops."

Marye returned Tuesday from a two-week trip to Germany, where he and his wife, Charlotte, visited her family near Munich. Even overseas, he couldn't escape politics: The hotly contested German parliamentary races ended Sunday with a narrow victory for the ruling conservative coalition.

The prospect of Marye's running for a sixth five-year term has been uncertain since he suffered a serious heart attack on Dec.10, 1992. He missed part of the 1993 General Assembly session but was back up to speed this year.

Marye, 68, said he will have a checkup in December.

"I can say truthfully I've never felt better," Marye said. He's lost 25 pounds since the heart attack, and he and his wife walk three miles every morning.

Keywords:
POLITICS

Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB