ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610280097
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: SPRINGFIELD
SOURCE: Associated Press
President Clinton basked Sunday in his large lead in the polls with a trip to Virginia and time out from his own re-election campaign to plug the state's long-shot Democratic U.S. Senate candidate.
Clinton crossed the Potomac River for a rally in the vote-rich Northern Virginia suburbs as the first stop on a seven-state campaign swing. He joked about his standing in the state, which has not voted for a Democrat for president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
``And I know how hard it is to break a habit,'' Clinton said. ``But one of the things we all teach our kids is that some habits have to be broken.''
Nominee Mark Warner, who had distanced himself from Clinton, stuck close at the rally at Robert E. Lee High School. On the dais, Clinton sat between Warner and U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, Johnson's son-in-law.
Warner joked that the seating arrangement might suit his opponent, three-term Republican Sen. John Warner. The senator's campaign used a fake photo of Mark Warner and the president together in an ad, then called it a blunder and apologized.
Mark Warner, who is not related to the incumbent, trailed by 20 percentage points in a poll this month. The poll predated the brouhaha over the faked ad, and Mark Warner claims the race has since closed to single digits.
``I don't know how long his coattails are going to be,'' Mark Warner said after the rally with Clinton. ``Does it help that the president leads in polls in Virginia? Sure it does.''
Polls show Clinton ahead of Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole by 6 to 9 points in Virginia.
The partisan crowd hissed when Mark Warner said John Warner had voted repeatedly against Clinton's initiatives.
``It's time to elect a Warner who will support our president and move Virginia forward,'' Mark Warner said.
Clinton traveled the few miles from the White House by helicopter. His landing sent a cloud of leaves over the crowd of about 9,000 jammed onto the high school playing fields.
Angela Fortunata grinned as the leaves fluttered over her, and eagerly waved her ``Clinton-Gore'' placard for television cameras.
When a Mark Warner aide passed out bumper stickers, she added one to the bottom of the placard.
``I'm going to vote straight Democratic,'' she said.
Many of her Manassas neighbors plan to split the ticket, voting for Clinton and John Warner, she said. Polls show many voters will support the senator out of gratitude for his maverick stand against Oliver North two years ago.
Clinton made three trips to Virginia in 1994, helping Robb defeat North's $20million GOP Senate campaign. Sunday was his first visit this campaign season.
Mark Warner has been urging voters to send John Warner a thank-you note but pull the lever for the Democrat.
``I do thank John Warner, but that was then and this is now,'' Fortunata said.
``I hope Mark can pull it out. If he doesn't, then we don't have such a bad guy in there after all.''
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner (right) standsby CNBnext to President Clinton on Sunday during a rally in Springfield
also attended by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Alexandria (far left) and U.S.
Sen. Charles Robb. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENT POLITICS CONGRESS