Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995 TAG: 9511080016
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
In the House, Democrats protected their majority with victories in 52 races in the 100-seat chamber, according to unofficial returns.
But in the Senate, each party had won 16 seats of the 40 seats with key races still too close to call.
Senate Majority Leader Hunter Andrews of Hampton was among the first Democratic legislative leaders to fall, losing a close race to Newport News Vice Mayor Marty Williams.
Other defeated Senate incumbents included Democrats Clarence Holland of Virginia Beach and Robert Calhoun of Alexandria as well as Republican Brandon Bell of Roanoke County.
In a key race involving celebrity names, Democratic Del. Linda Puller defeated Alexandra Liddy Bourne, a Republican challenger who received radio endorsements from her father, G. Gordon Liddy. Puller is the widow of Lewis Puller Jr., who won the Pulitzer Prize for ``Fortunate Son,'' a book about his combat experience in Vietnam.
With 73 percent of the vote in, Democrat Emily Couric, the sister of NBC ``Today Show'' host Katie Couric, held a 5 percentage point lead over Republican Sen. Edgar Robb of Charlottesville. Both races had received money from state and national political parties. Robb is not related to Democratic U.S. Sen. Charles Robb of Virginia.
Republican Gov. George Allen made the legislative fight his own, traveling the state in an unprecedented gubernatorial blitz for GOP candidates. The governor accused the Democrats of blocking his conservative legislative agenda.
Holland claimed he was a victim of Allen's vigorous campaigning on behalf of Edward Schrock. ``I was hopeful it wouldn't be Clancy Holland against the governor. But that's kind of what I felt like,'' he said.
But former Gov. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, said Allen took on the most aggressive role he had ever seen from a Virginia governor legislative races and suggested it might have backfired.
``It was a high-spirited campaign and in many instances mean-spirited,'' Wilder said. ``There were plenty of Democrats who voted for the good things that Governor Allen proposed; and to say that they should be voted out just wholesale, I think, offended many people.''
Republican legislative candidates signed a ``Pledge for Honest Change,'' modeled after the national Republicans' Contract With America. Democrats responded by chiding Republicans for running look-alike campaigns and attacked Allen for his proposed cuts to public education.
The campaign also set a record for spending. Finance reports in October showed that both parties had spent more than $14 million, exceeding the record of $10 million spent in 1991, the last time all 140 legislative seats were open.
National political insiders also watched the election to see whether momentum from the 1994 GOP sweep of Congress was continuing.
But the election is critical to Allen. A Republican takeover would clear the way for his programs. A Democratic victory would render him ineffective for the remaining two years of his term.
A Republican coup would vault Allen into the national limelight, political analysts said.
Keywords:
ELECTION
by CNB