ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605130102
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
A FOOT-STOMPING SPEECH clinched the Republican nomination for a political unknown who says Rep. Rick Boucher is spending too much time on the Internet. But Boucher defends government's role in improving Americans' lives.
In a race among three men with little name recognition across the expansive 9th District, Giles County law student Patrick Muldoon made his voice heard Saturday, winning the Republican nomination to oppose Rep. Rick Boucher in November.
Muldoon, 30, delivered a rousing speech touching on conservative themes of anti-abortion and prayer in schools but mostly attacking Boucher's voting record. His spirited delivery helped him nail the nomination on the second ballot over Thomas DeBusk, a Virginia Tech employee from Montgomery County. Former Del. Barnes Kidd of Tazewell County dropped out after the first ballot.
Dave Nutter, chairman of the Montgomery County GOP and a DeBusk supporter, had predicted Muldoon would run third because he was a political newcomer and not well-known. "I guess he's been running a better behind-the-scenes operation that I thought," Nutter said. "The speech was a killer."
Muldoon belittled Boucher's concentration on things high-tech, making light of Boucher's World Wide Web page recently being voted the best of Capitol Hill.
"Sure the information superhighway is a great thing, but you can't drive on it. We need new roads, highways and infrastructure to encourage business into Southwest Virginia."
He bemoaned a decreasing economic base in the district that forces young people to leave in search of good-paying jobs.
"We must do more to promote a good economic climate in Southwest Virginia, and let me tell you, Slick Rick's showcase on Southwestern Virginia just isn't going to do it," Muldoon said, charging up the crowd who responded with loud applause and yells of approval.
Muldoon is a former Department of Defense engineer and just completed his first year of law school at the College of William and Mary.
In the last month, he juggled school work and finals with campaigning.
"I must have put 5,000 to 6,000 miles on my old junky truck," Muldoon said. "I just want to show people that's the commitment I have."
Muldoon will take the next semester off, and said he hopes that will translate into votes that will send him to Congress and a long break from law school.
Boucher, a 14-year-incumbent who Republicans admit will be hard to unseat, was nominated to run for re-election Saturday at the Democrats' convention in Bristol.
Boucher said Democrats will win this November by citing the government's role in improving the quality of life. "The momentum we are establishing is due to the fact that we are aggressively defending the role of the federal government in support of the American public's core values," Boucher said.
He said that government role includes agencies such as the Appalachian Regional Commission, Head Start, and health-care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
"These are mainstream values, and because we are supporting and have defended those values against attacks by the new congressional majority, the public is announcing its support for us," Boucher said.
While Boucher's nomination was routine, the 9th District Republican convention was not.
The two candidates Muldoon defeated were thought to be stronger contenders because of their past ties and involvement with the party. DeBusk, 31, is vice chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party; Kidd is a former state legislator.
However, Muldoon led on the first ballot, falling only 28 votes short of winning the nomination. DeBusk ran second; Kidd was dropped after the first ballot when he garnered only 84.9 votes, winning only three counties and coming in last in his home county.
On the second ballot, Muldoon clinched the nomination by a vote of 214.24 to 172.76. DeBusk and Kidd then moved that Muldoon be nominated by acclamation.
For convention-goers, Muldoon's message was just what they wanted to hear and delivered the way they want a candidate to run against Boucher: forcefully and enthusiastically.
"The speech did it. The man can really speak. I mean he just really fires you up," said Elsie Kern, a Wise County delegate.
"He sounds like a winner. That's what we're looking for," said Luella Greear, also a Wise County delegate.
Two Buchanan County delegates stuck by DeBusk throughout the voting.
"I knew what I was going to do when I got here today," Delores Childress said. She said she supported DeBusk because of "his character, for what he stands for - pro-life. There's just so many good qualities about him. ... He's a fine Christian boy."
DeBusk conceded after the vote that "there were a lot of undecideds coming into the race. I think the convention was looking for aggressive campaigners, and I think Patrick and I fit that bill. We've got a lot of work to do to get Rick Boucher's record out to the public. If we can do that successfully, Rick won't stand a chance in November."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Muldoon, Boucher. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESSby CNB