Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995 TAG: 9511080050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But with all four Roanoke Valley state legislative seats - three in the House of Delegates, one in the Senate - going the way of the Democrats, there seemed no reason for candidates to rush to make an appearance.
There was no avoiding the long faces, the tears and looks of bewilderment.
"I love coming to wakes," one supporter said after a television reporter announced that Democratic challenger John Edwards had defeated incumbent Brandon Bell for the 21st District Senate seat.
Bell arrived just before 10 p.m. with his wife, Laura, his father and other family members. Fatigue showed in his red-rimmed eyes. His voice broke as he conceded defeat and announced that he would trade nothing for the four years he'd served in the Senate.
And when the applause quieted, he raised his head and thanked supporters for allowing him time to collect himself.
"I'm not going to worry about what we'll do tomorrow or what direction I pursue," Bell said.
Republican Jeff Artis simply shook his head and laughed when asked about his race against Democratic incumbent Del. Vic Thomas.
"I'm not going to stand up here and make a whole lot of excuses as to why I got my butt kicked today," Artis said. "I can remember once feeling this bad. It was when I got my butt kicked by a girl."
Artis said he felt more a winner than a loser - for having stood up on the issues, for standing up to racism, to threats carried out against him and his family during the campaign.
"We stood up to those who said I was a token, that the Republican Party simply wanted to put a black guy on the ticket," he said. "We ran a campaign that was honest, open, fair, and a campaign in which no one can say that we sold out, caved in under pressure."
Artis' wife, Sandy, stood outside with the couple's three children, who were in tears.
"Put your smiles back on before you go back in," she said. "We've got all night to cry."
Newell Falkinburg closed his bid to unseat Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum with the same good spirits he'd shown throughout the campaign.
"What can I say?'' he asked. "I'm chagrined. I'm sad, but I'm proud."
Falkinburg, whose campaign received $80,000 from millionaire brothers Edward and Peter Via, called his high-financed effort hard-hitting but not negative. And the Vias' contribution allowed him to "take my message and deliver it the best I could."
"That meant I had to focus on taking out a popular incumbent, and that's hard to do," he said. Falkinburg said he would have had to trounce Woodrum, not simply edge him out, in portions of the voting district that are in Roanoke County. Falkinburg carried many of the precincts in Roanoke County, but only by a small margin.
"I thought I was going to be able to do it," Falkinburg said. "I thought I was in striking distance. But we weren't quite able to do it."
Roanoke City Councilman Mac McCadden said Falkinburg needed 20 percent to 25 percent of the predominantly black Northwest Roanoke vote to stay competitive with Woodrum.
Still, McCadden was pleased at the black turnout.
"I was born and raised here, and this is the first time in my life I can remember African Americans made a difference," he said. "I'm hoping that they understand they have more power than they ever thought they had, and that they can exercise that power."
Close to 10:30 p.m., even after a television report announced that Del. Richard Cranwell had "resoundingly" defeated Republican Trixie Averill with three-fourths of the votes counted, she refused to concede defeat.
"I'm just waiting," she said. "Whatever happens, I feel like we've done a really good job and definitely felt like we've made some headway.
"But I thought I'd come on down and have a drink and eat. I'm starved."
Keywords:
ELECTION
by CNB