THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 14, 1994 TAG: 9406140341
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940614 LENGTH: RICHMOND
Coleman signed a declaration of candidacy at the State Board of Elections and filed petitions signed by more than 25,000 state voters to qualify for the ballot.
{REST} Coleman, the GOP nominee for governor in 1981 and 1989, is expected to formally announce his candidacy Thursday.
``As I've traveled around Virginia, the central theme I've heard is that people are disillusioned and disheartened with the choice of candidates before them,'' Coleman said. ``Most of them say that they don't want to vote for any of the candidates.''
By the end of this week, voters are expected to have four Senate candidates to choose from in fall.
Oliver L. North, the central figure in the Iran-Contra scandal, was nominated by the state GOP June 4.
Coleman, who has accused North of being untrustworthy, said he would not have launched his independent bid had Republicans nominated another candidate.
Incumbent Charles S. Robb is favored to win today's Democratic primary for the Senate.
Also today, former Democratic Gov. L. Douglas Wilder - Robb's longtime adversary - is expected to submit petitions qualifying him to appear on the ballot as an independent.
Coleman's candidacy was strongly denounced by David Johnson, executive director of the state Republican Party. He noted that Coleman suffered two general election setbacks in his bids to become governor and failed to win the party's nomination for lieutenant governor in 1985.
``This is an ego-driven candidacy,'' Johnson said. ``The fact is that Marshall Coleman wants to hold office so badly that he can't stand it.
``People will see Marshall Coleman for what he really is - the ultimate flip-flop candidate,'' Johnson added.
Coleman, 52, said it is not unusual in Virginia for statewide candidates to bolt their parties.
He noted that former U.S. Sen. Harry S. Byrd Jr. switched from Democrat to independent in 1970; former Lt. Gov. Henry E. Howell Jr., a Democrat, ran as an independent in the 1973 gubernatorial election; and former Democratic Gov. Mills E. Godwin successfully won a second term as a Republican in 1973.
``There used to be a saying in the Republican Party: vote the man, not the party,'' Coleman said.
Coleman also defended his frequent shifts in his position on abortion. In 1989, he reversed his long-standing defense of abortion rights and opposed the procedure even in cases of rape or incest. This year, he is favoring abortion rights again.
``When a person finds himself mistaken on an issue, he has an obligation to own up to it,'' Coleman said. ``My record has been very consistent on the principles of limited government.''
Asked if he still considers himself a member of the GOP, Coleman said: ``I still very much support the principles of the Republican Party.''
Coleman gained the endorsement last weekend of a group of key Virginia backers of Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign. The group is hoping to qualify as an official third party called The Virginia Independent Party. The group plans to help Coleman by recruiting volunteers and raising money.
Michael Brown, state voter registrar, said it unclear whether the group is legally qualified to be deemed a third party. That decision, he said, ultimately may be made by Attorney General James S. Gilmore.
{KEYWORDS} U.S. SENATE RACE CANDIDATE ELECTION
by CNB