ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996                    TAG: 9605060071
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B-5  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: FALLS CHURCH
SOURCE: Associated Press 

DOLE ENDORSES WARNER, LOWER GAS PRICES FROM EXXON STATION IN HONOR OF THE VISIT, FUEL WAS 4.3 CENTS LESS

There was news for political pundits and for the little guy Saturday at an Exxon gas station here: Presidential hopeful Bob Dole endorsed fellow Republican Sen. John Warner for re-election. And, for a little while, gas was 4 cents cheaper.

``He's doing a great job and I offer him my very warm support for his re-election,'' Dole said at a stop at an Exxon station here to highlight efforts to repeal the gas tax.

Warner has been challenged in the Republican primary by Jim Miller, a former Reagan administration budget official.

In a statement issued by his campaign, Miller said he was not surprised at the endorsement.

``This is the Old Bull Network in the Senate cloakroom in operation,'' Miller said Saturday. ``It would be odd if the Senate majority leader declined to endorse an incumbent senator.''

In honor of the visit, owners of the gas station reduced the price of regular self-serve gas 4.3 cents to $1.30 6/10 a gallon for a few hours. As gas prices climb higher, Dole is leading a campaign to repeal a 4.3 cent-per-gallon tax increase imposed as part of an effort to reduce the national budget deficit.

A bill proposing a gas-tax repeal will be introduced Tuesday in the Senate, Dole said.

Dole said the gas tax was an important issue. ``We want to underscore that the biggest tax increase in the history of the world was foisted on the American people by the Clinton administration in 1993.''

Rain began falling steadily at the Exxon station Saturday morning, but stopped just minutes before Dole arrived.

``I just want to get out of here before the circus starts,'' Falls Church resident Bill Morton said as Dole arrived. ``I'm just here trying to get my truck fixed.''

Dole's early endorsement of Warner is in stark contrast to 1994, when he stayed out of the primary contest between Miller and Iran-Contra figure Oliver North, then refused to immediately endorse North when he won the nomination.

Dole eventually endorsed North.

In a few joint campaign appearances late in the contest, Dole told audiences North's election was important to ensure a GOP majority in the Senate, but said little about North's qualifications for the job.

LENGTH: Medium:   58 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole, with 
          Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia (center right) and Gov. 
          George Allen (far right) appears at a Falls Church gasoline station 
          Saturday to promote his effort to repeal the 4.3 cent-per-gallon gas
          tax.
KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESS