Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9412010107
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Farris - who was so eager to take on Warner that he had been handing out bumper stickers that read, "Is it 1996 yet?" - said he ruled out a Senate run because of responsibilities to his wife and nine children.
"It was going to be very close to impossible to be a good United States senator and a good father at the same time," he said in a telephone interview from Hawaii.
Farris said his family duties would not keep him from pitching in to sack Warner, who enraged many party loyalists when he branded GOP Senate nominee Oliver North as unfit for office this year and instead backed independent candidate Marshall Coleman.
"He will have opposition," Farris said, "and I will support whoever runs against him."
Several potential candidates may be willing to tangle with Warner, a third-term senator who - despite the ire of GOP leaders - is one of the state's most popular politicians.
Former Reagan administration budget director Jim Miller, who lost the GOP Senate nomination to North this year, is positioning himself for 1996. North, the former Iran-Contra figure with a Midas touch for fund raising, has not ruled out a second try for the Senate.
State GOP Chairman Pat McSweeney predicted there would be a lot of interest in teaching Warner a lesson.
"The real test is who can show their leadership without bashing everyone," McSweeney said, adding that it would be best to "put off '96" until after next year's General Assembly races. The GOP has a chance to gain a majority in both chambers for the first time in modern history.
Warner - saying he respected Farris' decision to put family first - reiterated that he welcomed all comers in a 1996 primary election.
"My goal is to keep a Republican majority in the United States Senate," he said.
Farris, 43, thrilled conservative Christians with his no-compromise philosophy during his unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor last year. A lawyer, Farris is best known for his legal defense work for parents who withdraw their children from public schools to teach them at home.
His loss - despite wins by his two GOP running mates - seemed only to ignite his supporters. Likewise, Farris said last month's defeat of North, a take-no-prisoners conservative, did nothing to dissuade him that Warner can be defeated.
"All the political punditry made me want to do it more," he said. "I wanted to prove that a principled conservative can win."
Farris, however, said his decision came down to his family.
He and his wife, Vickie, flew to Hawaii for a working vacation and a chance to decide their future.
Farris said he was influenced by his discussions with two former U.S. senators who said the duties of the office would leave precious little time for his family. Six of his children are 10 years old or younger.
"I really do believe in family values," he said. "It's not a campaign thing for me."
Farris had planned to hold a news conference after his return next week, but he made the announcement by telephone Wednesday after a reporter, chasing rumors that he was having second thoughts, tracked him down at a Honolulu hotel.
Asked what would become of the "Is it 1996 Yet?" bumper stickers, Farris quipped, "I could probably sell them at a pretty good price to Jim Miller."
He left open the possibility of taking another shot at lieutenant governor, a part-time position that would take him away from his Loudon County home for only two or three months each year.
As news of the decision spread, Farris loyalists around the state were saddened that the Farris-Warner fight would not take place, but they took solace in that he might consider a race in 1997.
"Lieutenant governor?" said Kathy Hayden, a GOP activist from Roanoke County. "I'd just as soon he run for governor."
Staff writer Margaret Edds contributed to this report.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB