THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409160557
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARGARET EDDS AND WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 139 lines
Declaring that ``I will fight no more forever,'' L. Douglas Wilder turned Virginia's U.S. Senate race topsy-turvy on Thursday by withdrawing as an independent candidate.
The abrupt departure, following publication of polls showing Wilder trailing badly in the four-man race, was widely viewed as a huge plus for his longtime political rival, U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb.
Wilder's departure, analysts say, gives Robb a clear shot at uniting the Democratic Party and recapturing the sizable bloc of African-American voters who backed Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor.
While Wilder made no mention of Robb in withdrawing, ``there's no question the withdrawal of Gov. Wilder is a significant opportunity for my campaign,'' Robb said during a campaign appearance at a Richmond middle school. ``This has to accrue to my advantage.''
But some analysts said the race's remaining independent, former Attorney General J. Marshall Coleman, might also benefit. With both Robb and Republican Oliver L. North viewed negatively by much of the electorate, Coleman is now positioned to establish himself as the only alternative.
Wasting no time in claiming that mantle, Coleman, in Roanoke, declared: ``I am the alternative. . . . The message we need to send to the rest of the country is we demand truthfulness, lawfulness and dignity from our public officials.''
The news was not as good for North, who had been counting on Wilder to split the Democratic vote and attack Robb on character issues. North, who faces credibility problems stemming from his role in the Iran-Contra affair, had often acknowledged that his prospects were enhanced by a four-way race.
Mark Merritt, a spokesman for North, put the best face on the development, calling it a ``terrible day for Chuck Robb.'' Merritt pointed to a Virginia Commonwealth University poll suggesting that Wilder's departure puts Robb and North in a dead heat at 37 percent for North and 36 percent for Robb.
``Wilder's out of the race, and we should be down by 10 points,'' he said. Instead, ``we're right where we want to be.''
But another pollster questioned the validity of VCU's results, which were achieved by redistributing Wilder's supporters in an earlier poll according to their second choice. The 37-36 split ``to me is a little strange,'' said Brad Coker, president of Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research, which is also polling in the Virginia race. ``I don't see North getting any votes from Doug Wilder.''
Wilder's dramatic withdrawal was set in motion by polls issued Wednesday by Mason-Dixon and VCU. Both showed him with less than 14 percent of the vote, dashing his expectations of moving within striking distance of Robb.
Wilder was informed of those results in a telephone call from campaign manager Glenn Davidson as he left a Roanoke campaign appearance early Wednesday afternoon. As described by spokesman Dan Conley, who listened in on the conversation, Davidson outlined two options to Wilder: ``To go nuclear on Robb or to get out of the race altogether.''
Wilder, who was riding in his car as they spoke, gave directions to cancel the rest of his schedule, and he returned to Richmond. That night, Wilder, Davidson, Conley and Wilder's son met at the former governor's home to cement the decision to withdraw.
``We just looked at it as a poker game,'' Conley said. ``We'd made our last draw. We looked at our hand, and we said, `We can't bluff our way through this.' ''
As he entered his downtown Richmond office on the way to meet with staff and volunteers about noon Thursday, Wilder brushed aside a barrage of questions from reporters. His only comment was a six-paragraph statement in which he thanked supporters and said his low standing in the polls made it impossible for him to raise campaign money.
``I have said that I was in this campaign for one reason only, and that was to win,'' said Wilder, who quoted from Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe in saying that he would ``fight no more forever.''
He ignored a question about whether he will endorse Robb. The only possible hint was contained in the closing sentence of his statement. ``Finally, I will say that I have always been elected as a Democrat, I entered this race as a Democrat, and I leave it the same way,'' Wilder said.
Robb said he hopes to speak to Wilder soon. ``I would welcome his support when he's comfortable in doing so,'' Robb said.
The decision came after a 10-day stretch in which Wilder lost endorsements to Robb from several prominent African Americans, including 3rd District Rep. Bobby Scott and legendary civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Meanwhile, Wilder was backed by a large contingent of black ministers, increasing speculation that his continued candidacy would split Democrats and enable North to win.
The departure seemed an ignominious end to a 25-year political career that saw Wilder rise from the state Senate to the pinnacle of black political achievement. But since his historic 1989 election as governor, his attempts to move higher have failed.
Nineteen months after taking office, Wilder stunned Virginians by launching a presidential bid. He withdrew less than four months later with polls showing him losing support at home and trailing in a six-man field.
Last year, he all but promised a bid for the Senate and threatened to run as an independent if the Democratic Party didn't nominate by a primary election. A month after the party accommodated him, Wilder dropped out of the race.
This spring, he resurfaced as an independent candidate, vowing that ``there aren't any circumstances at all'' in which he would withdraw. He defied pressure from Vice President Al Gore and other Democrats to remain loyal to the party.
``What we've seen is sort of a political tragedy,'' said Paul Goldman, a political strategist who helped mastermind Wilder's victories for lieutenant governor and governor but was not part of the Senate campaign.
``At some point, he started getting in and getting out, or getting out and getting in and getting out again,'' Goldman said. ``It's hard to understand how they got into this posture that was a no-win posture.''
Wilder and his aides seemed to take pains to quell speculation that the former governor might try to re-enter the Senate race. ``It's over,'' Conley said. ``He's not going to be back in the race, he's not going to campaign, he's not going to be a factor in this election.''
Michael Brown, secretary of the state Board of Elections, said he has sent a message to registrars across the state to omit Wilder's name from voting machine ballots, which are soon to be printed. He said it is too late, however, to remove Wilder's name from the paper ballots that are primarily used by absentee voters. MEMO: Source of Wilder's quote
In leaving the U.S. Senate race, L. Douglas Wilder chose his keynote
line from a speech to the Nez Perce tribe delivered by Chief Joseph, or
Hinmaton-Yalaktit (``Thunder Rolling in the Mountains''). Chief Joseph
spoke following his surrender after the battle of Bear Paw Mountain,
Montana, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, 1877. He said:
``Our chiefs are killed. . . . The old men are dead. . . . The little
children are freezing to death. My people, some of them have run away to
the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are,
perhaps freezing to death.
``I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of
them I can find. Maybe I can find them among the dead. Hear me, my
chiefs. My heart is sick and sad.
``From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.''
[Photo of Chief Joseph]
ILLUSTRATION: Wilder bails out of Senate race after 2 pools showed him
trailing badly; Robb is seen as the primary beneficiary of his
departure.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE WITHDRAW CANDIDATE by CNB