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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995                   TAG: 9511080044
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARGARET EDDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                 LENGTH: Medium

AFTER LEADING THE CHARGE, ALLEN STAYS HOME FOR THE RACE RESULTS

\ Virginians held a referendum on George Allen, and spoke with a loud mumble.

The 43-year-old governor had campaigned feverishly for a majority in the General Assembly, but remained at the Executive Mansion on Tuesday evening, forgoing what was to have been a victory celebration in a suburban Richmond hotel.

GOP faithful gathered without him, cheering major victories - including the toppling of the Senate majority leader - while lamenting losses as the party pulled to a tie in the state Senate and remained in the minority in the House.

``It was district-by-district evaluation of both the governor and the candidates,'' said state Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Richmond.

Allen seemed to help candidates in southeastern Virginia, he said, but was less effective in Northern Virginia.

``It is still history. We've never even been tied before,'' said John Hager of Richmond, GOP state party treasurer. The results are too unclear to draw conclusions about Allen's impact, he said.

Never before had a Virginia governor focused so much energy, time and resources on state legislative races. But never before had there been so much for a chief executive to gain - or lose.

Throughout the summer, Allen campaigned steadily, often spending weekends and nights attending campaign barbecues or fund-raising cocktail parties. As the election approached, his schedule flip-flopped. For the last 10 days, according to aides, he was on the road as many as 16 hours a day, returning to Richmond late at night to attend to state business.

Everywhere, his message was much the same as in a $300,000 television ad campaign that took Allen into thousands of Virginia homes. ``Folks, it's time for honest change,'' he said.

Allen's brisk pace and buoyant spirit held through Election Day. At 7:15 a.m., the governor and his wife, Susan, showed up in the rain to vote at Old City Hall, a few blocks from the Executive Mansion.

Wearing the same white cowboy hat that he donned last week for the University of Virginia's upset football victory over Florida State, Allen predicted that similar good fortune would smile on Republicans.

Because Democratic state Sen. Benjamin Lambert and Del. Jean Cunningham were running unopposed in the small voting precincts, Allen had to write in the names of Republican candidates. With only the tip of his hat showing above the curtain and the heels of his cowboy boots visible below, Allen hammed for the TV cameras about his inexperience with write-in technology.

Moments later, he declined to say whom he had voted for, but made it clear that it was not Mickey Mouse, a perennial favorite of write-in voters.

Through the day, the governor took time for several radio interviews, including ones with conservative talk show hosts G. Gordon Liddy and Blanquita Cullum.

``Don't let a few raindrops stop you,'' he urged listeners. ``Gosh darn, you'll dry off soon enough.''

Allen asked Virginia voters to ``make history,'' and referred to Democrats as obstructionists, untrustworthy, petty and out of touch. Virginia needs ``new blood, new ideas, new energy and just some common sense,'' he said.

He ticked off the issues on which he has staked his political future: support for tougher prison sentences, higher school standards, more aggressive industry recruitment and more parental involvement on issues such as abortion.

The governor far outpaced any predecessors in his personal effort to influence the legislative races. Serving as the party's chief cheerleader, recruiter and drillmaster, he organized a fund-raising political action committee, Citizens for Honest Change, and raised $1.2 million for the campaign. That money was used to pay for his personal television appeal to voters, as well as more than $500,000 in contributions, phone banks and other services for Republican candidates.

According to aides, he attended more than 56 General Assembly fund-raising events during the year and made more than 48 additional campaign appearances.

``It was unprecedented. No governor has run this comprehensive a political campaign for his party,'' said UVa political scientist Larry Sabato.

For better or worse, said former Gov. Douglas Wilder, ``He made it a referendum on him.''

Keywords:
ELECTION