THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 13, 1994 TAG: 9406130048
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF HOOTEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940613 LENGTH: Medium
Chapman has raised $74,692 to Wagner's $28,802, according to reports filed June 2 with the Virginia State Board of Elections. Chapman also reported having more cash on hand - $24,927 to Wagner's $4,919.
{REST} Chapman's financial advantage doesn't faze Wagner.
``In my first campaign I won by 62 percent of the vote and I was outspent three to one,'' Wagner said.
Wagner and Chapman will face off in the 2nd Congressional District in Virginia's only Republican primary this year. The winner will go up against Democratic incumbent Owen B. Pickett on November 8. The district encompasses almost all of Virginia Beach and a large portion of Norfolk.
Democrats also will select a senate candidate Tuesday, choosing among incumbent Sen. Charles S. Robb, state Sen. Virgil H. Goode, Richmond lawyer Sylvia Clute and Lyndon LaRouche supporter Nancy Spannaus.
Voters in the 2nd District are only allowed to vote in one of the two primaries.
The two Republicans are almost identical on fiscal issues. Both support a balanced-budget amendment to the constitution, and both oppose increased taxes and military cutbacks.
This has forced Chapman and Wagner to find ways to distinguish themselves to voters. Chapman has charged Wagner with having a liberal voting record on social issues, prompting Wagner to accuse Chapman of moving further right just to win the nomination.
Religious broadcaster and Republican activist Pat Robertson and wife Dede each gave $500 to Chapman.
Chapman's financial reports also show a significant chunk of support coming from Norfolk's movers and shakers. Norfolk resident Edgar ``Ted'' Everhart, owner of a Portsmouth ship repair company, and E. Scott Rigell, owner of Freedom Ford in Norfolk, were among Chapman's biggest contributors, each donating $1,000, the maximum allowed.
Much of Wagner's support emanates from Virginia Beach residents and out-of-town contributors. His top donors include Virginia Beach businessman Douglas Perry and his wife Patricia, and former 1993 Republican gubernatorial candidate and Northern Virginia resident Earle C. Williams, each of whom contributed $1,000.
This is the second time Chapman has run for this seat. In 1992, he garnered 45 percent of the vote in an unsuccessful bid against Pickett.
Both Chapman, a 37-year-old maritime lawyer, and Wagner, a 38-year-old shipyard engineering consultant, have been trying to generate interest in the race.
``A lot of folks aren't aware there's a primary,'' Wagner said. ``There's going to be a very low turnout.''
Wagner has had ads on local talk radio stations for several weeks, saying that he is ``not another lawyer.'' The ads also cite his campaign to remove the tolls from the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway.
If Chapman's television ads are any indication, he already is looking ahead to the general election. The ads ignore Wagner and concentrate on linking Pickett with President Bill Clinton's legislative agenda.
Both candidates are spending the bulk of their money on mailings. One Chapman leaflet calls for the election of ``true conservative leadership'' and contrasts his opposition to abortion and gun control with Wagner, who supports abortion rights and voted for Virginia's one-gun-a-month law.
{KEYWORDS} ELECTION REPUBLICAN PRIMARY SECOND DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL RACE CAMPAIGN FINANCE
by CNB