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

DATE: THURSDAY, October 12, 1995                   TAG: 9510120073
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

NAZI IMAGE INVOKED A 2ND TIME

For the second time in less than a week, a Republican has invoked images of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich in a General Assembly race, prompting a complaint from the state's top Democrat.

Lt. Gov. Donald Beyer delivered a letter Wednesday to Gov. George Allen calling for an end to references to Nazis in the campaigns.

Beyer wrote the Republican governor after seeing a fund-raising letter in which state Senate candidate Pat Cupp argued for the need to protect the Second Amendment because of what happened when the Nazis came to power in 1930s Germany. Cupp's opponent, Democratic Sen. Madison Marye, opposed a bill making it easier to carry a concealed weapon.

Wednesday evening, Cupp said he wouldn't withdraw the statement. But a few hours later, he changed his mind.

``If offense has been taken by people of faith or others by the historical reference in my flyer, I sincerely apologize,'' he said in a written statement.

Cupp said he would remove the Nazi reference from his materials.

Beyer's letter came a day after Republican Sen. Russell Potts of Winchester apologized for saying his Democratic opponent's campaign appeared to be crafted by Hitler's propaganda minister.

``While spirited campaigns for public office are the sign of a vital democracy, references to Nazi Germany have no place in Virginia's political dialogue,'' Beyer wrote.

``These references are offensive to all Virginians and demonstrate a remarkable insensitivity to survivors and the families of those who perished in the Holocaust, and to all Americans who struggled in the war to stop Hitler.''

Del. Alan A. Diamonstein, D-Newport News, said Republicans ``should be ashamed of themselves.''

``One incident is bad enough,'' Diamonstein said. ``Two incidents lead me to believe that this may be a coordinated strategy.''

Such a suggestion is ``beyond ludicrous,'' said Scott Leake, executive director of the Joint Republican Caucus. ``Who in their right mind would coordinate something like that?''

Staff writer Brian Kelley contributed to this report.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB