Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411100078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, fresh from re-election to a seventh term, predicted early passage next year in the House of four of his key bills that died in the waning hours of the 103rd Congress.
Those include a major reform of telecommunications law, a reform of the Superfund toxic-waste cleanup program, a bill that would allow localities to veto the importation of out-of-state garbage into private landfills, and better regulation of financial planners. All had passed the House but died in last-minute political wrangling in the Senate.
"In the case of each of these bills, the balance essential to passing the legislation has already been struck," Boucher said.
But Boucher was unsure how the new Republican majority in the House would affect one aspect of his economic development efforts for the 9th District: bringing in federal money to pay for industrial park improvements.
"Obviously, it has some effect" when Republicans control the House Appropriations Committee, Boucher said. But he's hopeful that he'll be treated with the same respect by a Republican-controlled committee as when Democrats ran the show.
Boucher easily won re-election Tuesday with 59 percent of the vote to Republican Steve Fast's 41 percent. Losing only Carroll County, he even won Fast's home turf of Tazewell County with 54 percent of the vote.
"I was highly gratified by the results, which gave us a very substantial victory in the most Republican environment that I have seen in my years of public service," Boucher said. "The victory reflects the value of positive campaigning."
Boucher was equally excited about the results of the U.S. Senate race across the 9th.
Though Republican Oliver North won the district, with 47 percent of the vote to 42 percent for Democratic Sen. Charles Robb, he didn't get nearly the surge in votes he had confidently predicted at a Saturday night rally in Bristol.
"He got no bounce whatever," Boucher said.
For Gary Hancock, the district's Democratic chairman, that's good news, particularly "when you look at the national trend and compare it with what happened in the 9th."
North won 16 of the district's 23 counties and cities, but he lost big in three of the traditionally Democratic coalfield counties and in Montgomery County, the district's most populous. Except for Radford, North took the rest of the New River Valley.
In Montgomery, Robb's win was directly attributable to eight Blacksburg-area precincts and one in the Ellett Valley. The 11 other precincts across Christiansburg, Riner and Shawsville all went for North.
North's win in the district did little to help Fast, except perhaps to keep Boucher below 60 percent.
For a candidate with no political record, little name recognition and not enough money, Fast did better against Boucher than Republican challengers in 1988 and 1992.
The last man defeated by Boucher, Radford clothier Gary Weddle, saluted Fast on Wednesday for running a good campaign and raising nearly $200,000. "Boucher's unfortunately a tough opponent," said Weddle, who is contemplating a run for the state Senate next year. "It was the best year to run against him because of the tidal wave for Republicans."
For Boucher, that tidal wave means a sea change in the House of Representatives and its leadership. Boucher, chairman of the House science subcommittee, will now be a ranking Democratic member on that subcommittee or another. Boucher still will be on the House Energy and Commerce; Judiciary; and Science, Space and Technology committees.
by CNB