Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9411070050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BRISTOL LENGTH: Medium
Though the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate was the star, speaker after speaker urged the party faithful to stand by Fast, too. And North and Fast embraced as Fast's wife, Judy, and their four boys joined them on stage.
"Make sure you don't cancel your vote for Ollie by voting for Slick Rick," said Mike Farris, last year's unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor.
Meanwhile, Boucher, rallying 9th District Democrats on Saturday for himself and Sen. Charles Robb, poked fun at opponent Steve Fast's television ad, which transforms an image of the balding, bespectacled 48-year-old Boucher into one of President Clinton - complete with a full head of hair.
"You know, I really like that ad," Boucher said to more than 150 of his New River Valley supporters gathered outside the Montgomery County Courthouse. "That's a very flattering picture of me. It was taken about eight years ago at a time when I had hair.
"I'm wearing these very same glasses in that television ad and, as I slowly turn into Bill Clinton, it really struck me that the president looks just terrific wearing my glasses."
A Bluefield College mathematics professor from Tazewell, the 33-year-old Fast is making his first run for elected office. By most accounts, the cash-strapped candidate is facing long odds against Boucher, a six-term incumbent from Abingdon.
Fast said it wasn't the hair growth that caught Boucher's attention in the ad. "What Mr. Boucher's really upset about is the fact that he's voted with Mr. Clinton well over 80 percent of the time."
Lacking in money, name recognition and political experience, most analysts say the one plus for Fast will be North's coattails Tuesday, should he carry the district as Farris did last year.
North said he expects the 9th, 6th and 5th congressional districts - covering Southwest Virginia, Roanoke and Southside - to counter a Democratic win in Northern Virginia and push him to a 3-point victory over Robb.
"I would ask you to send Steve Fast up there to work with me," North said.
North dominated the event from the moment he walked in, swarmed by dozens of autograph seekers and reporters.
The hundreds of Republicans, some of whom drove from Kentucky to see North, filled the John S. Battle High School auditorium nearly to capacity. Fast said his working-class roots meant he would be the better representative in Washington.
Boucher made his traditional, last-weekend-of-the-campaign swing through the 9th District Saturday with stops in Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth, Washington and Russell counties. He's to hit Buchanan, Dickenson, Wise and Tazewell counties today.
Fast's TV ad is similar to ones that Republicans across the country - including George Landrith in his fight against Rep. L.F. Payne in the 5th District - are using this election season to try to link local Democrats with the unpopular president. Boucher's ads, in contrast, focus on his economic development efforts for the region.
State Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville, derided the Fast ad, too. "I never knew before how much Rick really looked like Bill Clinton," he said in classic deadpan. "As soon as that ad started running, President Clinton's stock in trade went up 10 points."
Boucher approached the finish line in his re-election bid confident enough to be spending more than half his time campaigning for Robb. "He and I are a team," Boucher said. "We work together on projects for this region."
Robb, campaigning in Tidewater, didn't make the Montgomery rally, but his daughter Catherine and his wife, Lynda, did, along with former Gov. Gerald Baliles, Lt. Gov. Don Beyer and state party Chairman Mark Warner.
Catherine Robb, the 24-year-old self-described "middle Robblet" of three daughters, said of Boucher: "I'm hoping we can ride his coattails through this area."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB