ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
Eric Thompson wanted to restore government to the people, but found it was too expensive.
The United Parcel Service worker from Bedford County intended to seek the Republican nomination for the 5th District seat in the House of Representatives, but he couldn't raise the party's $2,000 candidate fee by last week's deadline.
"I believe it's a way that the elitists of the party are attempting to hand-pick their candidate and eliminate the choice of the people," Thompson said Wednesday. "I got into this campaign because I believed the common man needed a voice in politics, and this is just another example of how the average citizen, the average voter, is being pushed out of the political process."
When asked if he intends to run as an independent, Thompson answered, "I'm exploring all possibilities, but I have no comment on my plans at this time."
Thompson's absence leaves three candidates to vie for the Republican nomination in what ultimately could become a three- or four-way race. It was his first try at running for public office.
Donivan Edwards, 5th District Republican chairman, said that while the $2,000 fee helps keep people from running for Congress "just to put it on their resume," it wasn't designed to eliminate "reasonable, viable candidates."
Thompson could have been a good candidate, Edwards said, but he added that Thompson should have done his homework and been in touch with party leaders earlier in the process so the deadline wouldn't have caught him unprepared.
This year's candidate fee is $1,500 more than it was in 1994, but by having a higher candidate fee, the party has been able to cut delegate fees in half - from $20 to $10, Edwards said.
The lively congressional race began in January when Rep. L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County, announced his retirement. The 5th District includes Bedford, Bedford County, Franklin County, Henry County, Martinsville and Patrick County.
Republican leaders say the front-runner is Albemarle County lawyer George Landrith, who came close to defeating Payne in 1994. Landrith's only serious opposition, they say, is expected to come from Del. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, even though Campbell County businessman Ron Buchanan also is seeking the nomination. It will be decided at a May 18 convention at Jefferson Forest High School in Bedford County.
It looks as though state Sen. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount will be unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Gary Thomas, a high school agriculture teacher from Gretna, plans to run on the Virginia Independent Party ticket.
That party - a spinoff of the United We Stand political organization founded by Texas billionaire Ross Perot - was certified by the state Board of Elections last month, which automatically qualifies it for the ballot of any state election.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESSby CNB