THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 11, 1994 TAG: 9408110511
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 138 lines
Gov. James B. Hunt, the top Democrat in North Carolina, sent a three-page letter this week on official ``Office of the Governor'' stationery to Democratic officials asking for funding to help Rep. H. Martin Lancaster, a Goldsboro attorney who is seeking a fifth term in Congress.
Lancaster faces Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. in the 3rd Congressional District election. The 3rd District covers a huge eastern area of North Carolina, including most of the Outer Banks and many coastal counties.
The Hunt letter was dated Aug. 4, but delivery in the northeast began Wednesday.
The governor didn't mention Jones by name but he left no doubt he believed Lancaster was in for a hard fight against the son of Walter B. Jones, the revered Democratic congressman who died two years ago.
``You can bet the Republicans will try every trick and spend everything they have to try to defeat Martin Lancaster in 1994,'' Hunt's letter said.
``In 1992 the Republicans poured in over $200,000 in the last few weeks of the campaign to defeat Martin Lancaster,'' the letter continued, ``(And) the Republicans think they have a better candidate this year.''
In 1992 Lancaster easily defeated the GOP's Benny Thomas ``Tommy'' Pollard of Jacksonville, N.C.
In Raleigh, where a copy of the governor's letter was quickly leaked to the Jones Campaign Committee, Jones promptly issued his own statement:
``It's really not surprising that Congressman Lancaster would turn to the state's Democratic machine to rescue his re-election bid,'' said the Jones statement.
``It's obvious that since he has voted with President Clinton's programs 81 percent of the time - votes that have not helped tobacco growers and votes which have cut deeply into our nation's military readiness - Lancaster knows it would be a hard sell to bring in his liberal Washington friends like Jocelyn Elders, Henry Waxman, Barney Frank or President Clinton and his wife to help with his campaign.''
Jones, 51, is the son of the late 12-term northeastern congressman from Farmville who often won 70 percent pluralities on election day.
The elder Jones died in 1992 after being stricken with pneumonia at his home in Nags Head.
His son, who served 10 years as a Democratic state representative in the General Assembly, switched to the GOP when fellow Democratsfailed to nominate him to fill out the remaining months of his father's unexpired term.
Instead, Rep. Eva M. Clayton, a Warren County Democrat, won a special election to complete Jones' term and then went on to win the regular congressional race from the 1st District. She became the first black and the first woman to serve in Congress from North Carolina since the turn of the century.
But after the 1992 General Assembly reapportioned the congressional districts, making Clayton's 1st District one of two black majority districts, Jones decided to run against Lancaster in the 3rd District. The U.S. Constitution allows any state citizen to run for the House of Representatives from any district in that state.
In the U.S. House redistricting, the 3rd District acquired many of the old 1st District's voting precincts where the late Jones had heavy backing from conservatives, Democrat and GOP alike. His Republican son is counting on these voters to help him topple Lancaster.
Hunt's letter praised Lancaster's support of programs beneficial to eastern North Carolina farmers and businessmen as well as members of the military stationed at bases in the 3rd District.
``Martin grew up on a farm . . . And no one has fought harder for our tobacco farmers, workers and small businessmen,'' Hunt wrote, adding: ``Martin's hard work and growing seniority on the Armed Services Committee has been critical in protecting the billions of dollars which come into our state through our military installations.
``Please help make sure that Martin has the resources he will need to fight back the attacks that are assured to come this fall by sending a generous contribution.''
Gov. James B. Hunt, the top Democrat in North Carolina, sent a three-page letter this week on official ``Office of the Governor'' stationery to Democratic officials asking for funding to help Rep. H. Martin Lancaster, a Goldsboro attorney who is seeking a fifth term in Congress.
Lancaster faces Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. in the 3rd Congressional District election. The 3rd District covers a huge eastern area of North Carolina, including most of the Outer Banks and many coastal counties.
The Hunt letter was dated Aug. 4, but delivery in the northeast began Wednesday.
The governor didn't mention Jones by name but he left no doubt he believed Lancaster was in for a hard fight against the son of Walter B. Jones, the revered Democratic congressman who died two years ago.
``You can bet the Republicans will try every trick and spend everything they have to try to defeat Martin Lancaster in 1994,'' Hunt's letter said.
``In 1992 the Republicans poured in over $200,000 in the last few weeks of the campaign to defeat Martin Lancaster,'' the letter continued, ``(And) the Republicans think they have a better candidate this year.''
In 1992 Lancaster easily defeated the GOP's Benny Thomas ``Tommy'' Pollard of Jacksonville, N.C.
In Raleigh, where a copy of the governor's letter was quickly leaked to the Jones Campaign Committee, Jones promptly issued his own statement:
``It's really not surprising that Congressman Lancaster would turn to the state's Democratic machine to rescue his re-election bid,'' said the Jones statement.
``It's obvious that since he has voted with President Clinton's programs 81 percent of the time - votes that have not helped tobacco growers and votes which have cut deeply into our nation's military readiness - Lancaster knows it would be a hard sell to bring in his liberal Washington friends like Jocelyn Elders, Henry Waxman, Barney Frank or President Clinton and his wife to help with his campaign.''
Jones, 51, is the son of the late 12-term northeastern congressman from Farmville who often won 70 percent pluralities on election day.
The elder Jones died in 1992 after being stricken with pneumonia at his home in Nags Head.
His son, who served 10 years as a Democratic state representative in the General Assembly, switched to the GOP when fellow Democratsfailed to nominate him to fill out the remaining months of his father's unexpired term.
Instead, Rep. Eva M. Clayton, a Warren County Democrat, won a special election to complete Jones' term and then went on to win the regular congressional race from the 1st District. She became the first black and the first woman to serve in Congress from North Carolina since the turn of the century.
But after the 1992 General Assembly reapportioned the congressional districts, making Clayton's 1st District one of two black majority districts, Jones decided to run against Lancaster in the 3rd District. The U.S. Constitution allows any state citizen to run for the House of Representatives from any district in that state.
In the U.S. House redistricting, the 3rd District acquired many of the old 1st District's voting precincts where the late Jones had heavy backing from conservatives, Democrat and GOP alike. His Republican son is counting on these voters to help him topple Lancaster.
Hunt's letter praised Lancaster's support of programs beneficial to eastern North Carolina farmers and businessmen as well as members of the military stationed at bases in the 3rd District.
``Martin grew up on a farm . . . And no one has fought harder for our tobacco farmers, workers and small businessmen,'' Hunt wrote, adding: ``Martin's hard work and growing seniority on the Armed Services Committee has been critical in protecting the billions of dollars which come into our state through our military installations.
``Please help make sure that Martin has the resources he will need to fight back the attacks that are assured to come this fall by sending a generous contribution.'' by CNB