THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 23, 1994 TAG: 9409230574
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
North Carolina's 3rd District Congressional race has become a war of percentages, at least in campaign ads for the two candidates: incumbent Martin Lancaster and his Republican challenger, Walter B. Jones Jr.
This week, the Lancaster campaign launched advertisements alleging that Jones was absent for more than 30 percent of the roll call votes taken in the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1992 - the last year that Jones served in the state legislature.
An earlier advertisement by the Jones campaign seeks to link Lancaster with Bill Clinton. Lancaster is shown in a photograph jogging with the president. The accompanying voice-over alleges that Lancaster voted with Clinton 81 percent of the time since the president's 1993 inauguration.
On Thursday, Lancaster's supporters issued documents entitled ``Walter B. Jones: He doesn't even show up for work.'' The documents claim that Jones missed 185 of the 582 roll call votes taken during the 1992 state General Assembly. Issues Jones allegedly did not vote on include: legislative redistricting, changing requirements for teachers' tenure and a resolution honoring the Duke University basketball team for winning the NCAA championship.
Lancaster's campaign workers also claim that Jones was absent for 17 percent of the roll call votes taken during his 10-year stint in the General Assembly.
On Wednesday night, Jones was asked about the absenteeism charge after delivering a speech in Camden County. ``I don't know what he's talking about,'' Jones said of Lancaster's accusations. ``We haven't had a chance to research it.
``The voters of this district would have been better off if he had missed a couple of votes - the one where he flip-flopped on the crime bill and the one where he voted to raise taxes in 1992,'' Jones said of his opponent.
``It's amazing that the incumbent's been there eight years and he can't pound his chest and talk about what he's done to help the people,'' Jones said. ``He can't do it.''
Jones admitted that he had missed some votes and tried to offer an explanation for those absences.
``The only time I went through a period of time when I missed votes was when I was running for Congress. I got excused absences. I couldn't be there. Excused absences are not the same as missing votes,'' Jones said.
``I missed some votes,'' Jones admitted. ``A lot of times, when you've got a bill in the Senate or you've got a bill in committee and you're trying to lobby a Senator, you miss votes. But that's not the issue of this campaign. The issue of this campaign is who can best represent the philosophy of the people of this district. And he's not doing it.''
Lancaster spokesman Warren Hepler accused Jones of waging a campaign of ``guilt by association'' through his advertisements which link Lancaster with Clinton.
``What has he had to say that's positive about his record?'' Hepler asked. ``We're going to be talking about issues that impact farmers, senior citizens and other important topics during the campaign.''
Hepler said the figures Jones is using in his advertisements accurately reflect Lancaster's voting record. But Hepler cautioned, ``I think you have to look at that in light of the fact that Mr. Lancaster voted against the President more than any other Democrat in the North Carolina delegation. He voted against the President and his party on NAFTA, and several other important issues.''
Hepler also said that Jones' absences should be viewed in comparison to Lancaster's eight-year record in Congress.
``Mr. Lancaster has a 98.2 percent attendance record in Congress,'' Hepler said. ``He has to run for Congress. But he hasn't been in the district campaigning. Since Congress has been in session, Mr. Lancaster has been there, doing the job he was elected to do.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Lancaster
KEYWORDS: ELECTION NORTH CAROLINA by CNB