THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, December 15, 1994            TAG: 9412150435
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B11  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                           LENGTH: Short :   41 lines

FAIRFAX MAN ELECTED IN VIRGINIA'S COSTLIEST CAMPAIGN, RECORDS SHOW OVERALL, CAMPAIGN COSTS FOR CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES WERE DOWN SLIGHTLY THIS YEAR.

Virginia elected its first million-dollar congressman, Thomas M. Davis III, last month, campaign financial reports filed Tuesday show.

The Fairfax Republican spent $1,376,872 in defeating first-term Democrat Leslie L. Byrne in the 11th District, according to reports filed with the State Board of Elections.

Byrne spent $982,879 in her losing cause.

The previous record in a Virginia congressional race was set in 1992, again in the 11th District, when Republican Henry Butler spent $835,000 in losing to Byrne, who spent $734,000.

Davis won 53 percent of the 1994 vote in his victory over Byrne and independent candidate Gordon S. Cruickshank.

The Republican challenger spent $310,000 - as compared to Byrne's $105,000 - on television advertisements. Records show that Davis lent his campaign about $100,000.

Total spending in the state's congressional races was $8.5 million, down from the 1992 total of $9 million.

Other big spenders in the 1994 congressional races were 4th District Democratic incumbent Norman Sisisky, who spent $705,000 in his victory over Republican challenger George Sweet; and 5th District Democratic incumbent L.F. Payne, who spent $728,507 in his victory over Republican George C. Landrith III.

Sweet and Landrith spent $323,000 and $353,207 in their respective campaigns.

KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN FINANCES by CNB