Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995 TAG: 9511080018
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Democratic Del. Jim Shuler won a second term Tuesday after a campaign that centered on education spending and Gov. George Allen's budget-cutting agenda.
Shuler, the only veterinarian in the House of Delegates, defeated Republican auctioneer Larry Linkous on the strength of 2-to-1 victory ratios in several Blacksburg-area precincts and a big win in Giles County.
"I think it's a statement that education is indeed the most important thing that we can be about," Shuler said. "I think people believe in what I've tried to do for the last two years and appreciate what I did specifically during this past session."
Linkous, 41, initially was expected to give Shuler, 51, a strong challenge, given his local roots. The son of a coal miner, he was born and grew up in the Merrimac community and lives there today. His visibility as chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors also was seen as a plus.
But the House race took on a statewide aspect early on. Democrats successfully framed the debate as a referendum on the Republican governor and his agenda, which many see as widely unpopular among the many Virginia Tech employees in the district.
"I never did spin it that way myself," Shuler said Tuesday. "I knew that education was the No. 1 priority of the 12th District. I've been fighting for those issues long before it became the political thing to fight for this year."
Linkous, with his booming voice and friendly demeanor, tried to make the case that he would be a more effective leader and legislator than the quieter, more serious Shuler. He also argued that Shuler was little more than a tool of the Democratic leaders, while he would be a strong, independent voice for the region.
But at the same time, Linkous stressed his close ties to the Allen administration to make the case for his effectiveness. Linkous said Tuesday Allen was a definite factor.
"There's no question at all," he said. "I had people tell me that the votes were as much against the present administration as against me."
Linkous banked on a heavy turnout and vote in his favor in the Christiansburg area and in the rural precincts of Montgomery County, where his family has ties going back 200 years.
That strategy wasn't enough to overcome the huge numbers Shuler racked up in at least four key Blacksburg-area precincts - the same areas that propelled Shuler to an easy victory in 1993. And this time Shuler won Giles, which he'd narrowly lost in '93.
The candidates described themselves as friends as the campaign started in late winter. The race remained low-intensity until September and October, when Shuler and Linkous began criticizing each other's performance in office. Linkous said Shuler threw a temper tantrum on the floor of the House last winter when a political gambit ran into Republican opposition. Shuler questioned Linkous' commitment to public service because of his 1990 resignation from the Montgomery Planning Commission.
But in the final weeks of October, the Shuler-Linkous race dropped off the media radar screen, and even party insiders began to concede Linkous had little chance.
Shuler said he stopped by Linkous' office Monday to wish him well, whatever the outcome. "I think it ought to be a statement throughout the state that two people can run a positive race and do their best ... to try to stick to the issues," he said.
Linkous agreed. "We ran a good race, I thought a real positive race," he said. "We gave it a good shot and it didn't work out."
Keywords:
ELECTION
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.