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

DATE: SATURDAY, March 4, 1995                   TAG: 9503060037
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

CRANWELL TRIES TO UNWIND SPIN OF ALLEN'S SWING

House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell accused Gov. George Allen on Friday of going on a ``campaign swing'' to put his own spin on the just-completed General Assembly session.

``The purpose of the campaign swing is to try to rewrite history,'' Cranwell said at a Capitol news conference. ``What I hope I am today is a messenger of truth.''

Since the session ended a week ago, Allen has traveled around the state accusing Democrats of obstructing his plan to cut spending and taxes.

Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, said legislators responded to voters who said they did not want to cut funding for police, higher education and mental health services.

``The people of Virginia rejected his policies out of hand,'' Cranwell said.

But Allen's spokeswoman, Melissa Herring Dickie, said the Republican governor has been ``talking about positive change and what he wants to do for Virginia.''

``He's certainly not getting any ideas from any political playbook,'' she said, referring to a Democratic pollster's written advice to legislators during the session.

The debate will be concluded in November, when voters pick all 140 members of the General Assembly. Republicans need three seats in each chamber to win control.

Cranwell also criticized a telephone poll that takes a Republican slant on campaign issues. The governor's office, the state GOP and the Republican legislative caucus denied any knowledge of the poll.

According to Cranwell, the survey asks voters whether they would support Democrats who refused to ``cut wasteful government spending in order to give hard-working Virginians income-tax relief.''

Other questions concerned Democrats' support for keeping the state yacht, giving salary increases to college presidents and scaling back Allen's prison construction plans.

Cranwell said the questions were misleading because legislators did cut the budget, just not as much as Allen wanted.

Scott Leake, executive director of the GOP legislative caucus, said such polls show which issues could influence voters.

``I think it's a fine poll. I wish we had done it, but we didn't,'' Leake said. ``I have no idea who is doing it.''

A GOP-sponsored bill that failed in the General Assembly would have required pollsters to identify themselves.