Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509010015
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: G-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
For the seat that covers Roanoke and most of Roanoke County:
Incumbent Brandon Bell (R) won an upset four years ago by painting the incumbent as the yes-man for a governor whose budget policies he said hurt the Roanoke Valley.
Challenger John Edwards (D) will attempt to do the same, portraying Bell as insufficiently interested in regional issues, such as Hotel Roanoke funding, and more interested in promoting Gov. George Allen's "divisive" agenda, such as "charter schools." But Bell is a tenacious door-knocker who figures his emphasis on tax cuts will play well with suburban voters who constitute about half the district.
For the seat that covers Montgomery County, part of Pulaski County, part of Carroll County, Galax, Grayson County and Smyth County:
Incumbent Madison Marye (D) had wanted to retire this year but his opposition to Allen's agenda, and pressure from fellow Democrats, caused him to reconsider. The folksy farmer from Shawsville hopes to overcome the increasingly Republican tilt of his district by emphasizing his personal contacts and Allen's cuts to Virginia Tech and Radford University.
Challenger Pat Cupp (R) has distanced himself from the issue of education cats, but otherwise will depict Marye as out of touch with the conservative district.
For the seat that covers Bath County, Alleghany County, Covington, Clifton Forge, Botetourt County, western Roanoke County, Craig County, Giles County, part of Pulaski County and Radford:
Incumbent Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo (R) is unopposed.
For the seat that covers Franklin County, Henry County, Martinsville, Patrick County and part of Carroll County:
Incumbent Virgil Goode (D) is unopposed.
For the seat that covers Bedford County, Bedford, Lynchburg and Amherst County:
Incumbent Elliot Schewel (D) is retiring.
Lynchburg businessman Steve Newman (R) hopes to move up from the House of Delegates, where he's been one of the most conservative Republicans in the legislature.
Incumbent Elliot Schewel (D) is retiring. Democrats had trouble finding a candidate and at the last minute drafted Amherst County government teacher Barbara Coleman (D), who has done little since.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
For the seat that covers western Bedford County, most of Roanoke County except the southwestern precincts, southern Botetourt County, and Craig County:
House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell (D) has become the Democrats' spiritual leader in opposing Allen.
The Democrat most responsible for killing Allen's legislative agenda squares off against the Republican in the Roanoke Valley most identified with the governor. Roanoke County homemaker and former Allen operative Trixie Averill (R). This could be one of the most-watched races in the state: Averill's already getting lots of help from Allen loyalists in Richmond.
For the seat that covers most of Northwest Roanoke, South Roanoke, Raleigh Court, and the Hunting Hills-Cave Spring neighborhood of Roanoke County:
Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum (D) hasn't faced opposition in 10 years and that wasn't very serious. Now he's facing the best-funded House challenger in the state. Woodrum's sharp tongue and alliance with Cranwell has made him one of Allen's most prominent critics.
Physician Newell Falkinburg (R) hopes to portray Woodrum as simultaneously too liberal and too beholden to business "special interests."
For the seat that covers Southeast Roanoke, Northeast Roanoke, part of Northwest Roanoke and the Peters Creek Road section of Roanoke County:
Del. Victor Thomas (D) has been in office 22 years but hasn't faced a Republican opponent since single-member districts were instituted more than a decade ago. Both candidates veer from the party line. The conservative-leaning Thomas is most identified with gun rights and outdoors issues.
Former teacher Jeff Artis (R), the publisher of the Black Conservative Newsletter, veers from the party line. Artis' philosophy is sometimes difficult to categorize, but it's safe to say he's conservative.
For the seat that covers Salem, most of Southwest Roanoke County, part of Christiansburg and eastern Montgomery County:
Freshman incumbent Morgan Griffith (R) is unopposed.
For the seat that covers Bedford, most of Bedford County, most of Botetourt County except for the southern precincts, part of Rockbridge County and Buena Vista:
Longtime incumbent Lacey Putney (I) is unopposed.
For the seat that covers part of Christiansburg, Blacksburg, western Montgomery County and eastern Giles County:
Freshman incumbent Jim Shuler (D) faces a strong challenge but will Allen's cuts to Virginia Tech prompt a strong reaction from state workers and business leaders who see Tech as the region's economic engine?
Challenger Larry Linkous (R), is chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors. This is a district that could be a bellwether. Allen's proposed tax cuts and tough-on-crime message could play well with many rural voters, who have been increasingly voting Republican.
But will Allen's cuts to Virginia Tech prompt a strong reaction from state workers and business leaders who see Tech as the region's economic engine?
For the seat that covers Radford, part of Pulaski County and western Giles County:
Incumbent Tommy Baker (R) is unopposed.
For the seat that covers Floyd County, most of Franklin County, the Moneta precinct of Bedford County and part of Pittsylvania County:
Freshman incumbent Allen Dudley (R) was a surprise winner on Allen's coattails in 1993 and Democrats promptly targeted him for a strong challenge, consigning him to minor committees and even voting down his bill to change an obscure traffic law requiring passing motorists to honk their horns.
Challenger Claude Whitehead (D), a Pittsylvania County dentist and tobacco farmer, faces the task of introducing himself in Franklin County, the heart of the district.
by CNB