
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 4, 1994                    TAG: 9406040229 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A10    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: 940604                                 LENGTH: RICHMOND

2,000 REPUBLICAN DELEGATES SIGN PETITIONS FOR WILDER CANDIDACY

{LEAD} It was gutsy. It was audacious. It was pure Doug Wilder.

The former Democratic governor had the temerity Friday to circulate petitions for his independent bid for the U.S. Senate at the state Republican Convention.

{REST} While Republicans debated whether to nominate Oliver L. North or James C. Miller III for the Senate race, Wilder walked away the big winner after the first day of the convention.

Actually, his aides were chased away by police. But before they left, they collected more than 2,000 signatures from Republican delegates, almost one-seventh of the 14,500 names of registered state voters Wilder needs to qualify for the Senate race.

The Wilder camp set up seven tables outside the doors of the Richmond Coliseum and politely greeted the Republicans as they entered the convention. Beneath each table was a bright blue banner quoting a recent North quip that ``a true patriot would sign Doug Wilder's petition.''

North believes he would be helped by Wilder's independent candidacy because it would siphon votes away from the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, incumbent U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb.

Many Republicans shared the sentiment and eagerly signed the petitions. They said Wilder and Robb's longstanding public feud could only rebound to the success of the GOP.

``I think it's grand Doug Wilder wants to run,'' said Geraldine Walker, a delegate from Bedford. ``He and Chuck Robb have provided a great sideshow over the years and I would like to see it continue.''

``You don't have to force me to sign,'' said Virginia Bere, another delegate. ``I'd love to see Doug Wilder mess up Robb some more.''

Some Republicans were not amused.

``Are you kidding?'' shouted Clyde Sharrock of Galax. ``You're trying to get a third-party candidate in there to run against North. I don't want any part of the shenanigan.''

``I don't want to see Doug Wilder run for anything,'' said Glen Sutton of Verona. ``He's just about ruined Virginia as it is.''

Patrick M. McSweeney, chairman of the state Republican Party, was angered.

``I'm not going to encourage people to play cynical games by getting Doug Wilder into this process,'' McSweeney snapped at a news conference.

McSweeney complained to the police, who ordered Wilder's aides to move their tables to a public sidewalk 30 yards from the convention doors.

Glenn K. Davidson, Wilder's campaign manager, said he'll set up the tables again today near the convention doors and will obligingly move back to the sidewalk if police insist.

``Isn't it unfortunate,'' Davidson said with a wide grin, ``that the Republican Party chairman would deny his colleagues the right to sign a petition?''

{KEYWORDS} SENATE RACE CANDIDATE INDEPENDENT PETITION

by CNB