ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON, DAN CASEY AND JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITERS
Republicans huddled around four televisions Tuesday night at a Days Inn in Roanoke, sipping $2.50 mixed drinks from the cash bar and straining over the din to hear the election returns.
Not that anyone was worrying about the vote totals for Rep. Bob Goodlatte. There was little suspense about whether the Roanoke Republican would win a third term in Congress.
Goodlatte, after all, had a more than 1,200 percent fund-raising advantage against a Rockbridge County Democrat who had never before run for political office.
``Did this race turn my hair white?'' laughed Don Duncan, the 6th District GOP chairman, whose hair was white long before Goodlatte stood for re-election.
In the end, Goodlatte kept his seat in Congress by outpolling Democrat Jeff Grey by 2-1.
Libertarian candidate Jay Rutledge drew about 2 percent of the vote.
Shortly after 9 p.m., Goodlatte entered the banquet room through a kitchen door as GOP faithful shouted war whoops and chanted, "Let's go, Bob! Let's go, Bob!"
``This resounding victory is very, very humbling for me and I thank you very, very much,'' Goodlatte told the crowd.
Goodlatte said the Republicans in Congress had worked for health care reform and the line-item veto. Now, he said, it's time for them to return to Washington to keep fighting ``for limited government, government closer to the people, the free enterprise system, and to stop this huge bureaucracy.''
Goodlatte also talked about the issue that Grey had made the centerpiece of his campaign - Goodlatte's support for a GOP plan that would have reduced the growth of Medicare by $270 billion over the next seven years.
``Despite all the scare tactics and shameless fear-mongering from some, we're going to save Medicare for our seniors,'' Goodlatte said. ``They've earned it, they deserve it, and we're going to preserve it.''
He and other Republicans say they wanted to increase Medicare spending. Democrats said that the plan would have resulted in a deep cut when the effects of inflation were taken into account.
The Goodlatte and Grey campaigns ended the race by accusing each other of distortions and other misdeeds. But Tuesday night, both candidates were conciliatory.
``Jeff ran a very hard-fought campaign and I congratulate him for his effort,'' Goodlatte said. ``Jeff worked very, very hard and he stood up for what he believed in and gave the voters of this district a clear choice.''
Grey, a union leader and telecommunication repairman, said his campaign had succeeded in getting out its message of support for average working families, the elderly and schoolchildren. ``We have a lot to be proud of tonight,'' he said.
Grey's was an uphill battle from the start. Several Republicans and Democrats alike said winning is almost impossible for a Democrat from outside Roanoke. One national political newsletter tagged Grey as one of the ``longest of the long shots'' around the country.
``Jeff has worked real hard, but Bob is just so popular,'' said Del. Morgan Griffin, a Salem Republican.
Onzlee Ware, 6th District Democratic chairman, said Grey's showing was ``courageous and admirable, given that he had no name recognition and no money.'' Ware said Goodlatte should take Grey's strength as a signal that many people in the district don't like the Republican's close ties to House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Fred Hutchins, 15, a Lord Botetourt High School sophomore, worked 13 hours straight handing out materials at the polls for Grey and the Clinton-Gore ticket.
Hutchins' father is a member of the United Steelworkers, and politics is a routine dinner-table topic at their house. The teen-ager said he liked Grey because he stood up for ``good, hard-working, laboring people.'' Hutchins said he disliked Goodlatte because he had taken huge amounts from wealthy contributors and big corporations and had voted against the interests of workers.
Before the totals started rolling in, Hutchins said hopefully, ``If Grey could win, it would be a great symbol that you can win without a lot of money.''
Going into October, Goodlatte had raised close to $700,000 - and Grey had barely raised $50,000.
Harrison McGrath, a 14-year-old eighth-grader at James Madison Middle School in Roanoke, spent nine hours campaigning for Republicans on Tuesday. He said Goodlatte, Gingrich and other House Republicans need to keep control of the House ``to get their message out.''
If the GOP keeps control of the House, Goodlatte said, he may be in line for more subcommittee chairmanships, in addition to his current leadership of the panel that oversees food stamps.
As for Grey, he said he was tired after months of grueling door-to-door campaigning but promised to stay active in Democratic politics. He said he wouldn't rule out running for another office or taking on Goodlatte again in two years, but there was time to think about that later.
He said he knew one thing for sure: After almost four months off, he would be back to work at 7:30 a.m. today at Columbia Gas Co.
``Tomorrow you'll see me in a pair of Levi jeans,'' Grey said. ``In some ways, it'll be a relief to go back to a routine.''
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff. 1. Supporters cheer Rep. Bobby CNBGoodlatte's acceptance speech Tuesday night in Roanoke. He said if
Republicans keep control of the House, he might gain subcommittee
chairmanships. (headshots) 2. Grey. 3. Rutledge. KEYWORDS: ELECTION