THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 3, 1995 TAG: 9508030523
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
The Virginia campaign for U.S. Senate is long over, and Oliver L. North lost, but you wouldn't know it from the steady humming of his fund-raising machine.
In the first six months of this year, the Republican candidate-turned-talk show host raised $1.4 million, nearly three times the debt he needed to retire and more than some senators spent on their entire elections last year, according to documents filed this week with the Federal Election Commission.
Now that he isn't a declared candidate for anything, North has raised money at 1 1/2 times the rate of Sen. John W. Warner (R), who is a candidate. Warner, Virginia's senior senator, faces a tough re-election campaign next year.
And North shows no sign of slowing down. Recently he began another moneymaking venture by pitching a monthly newsletter for $39.95 a year to his considerable national following. As a promotion, he is offering to throw in either of two gifts: a ``black book'' listing the ``25 most dangerous liberals in Washington'' or a ``spine-tingling videocassette'' of speeches by North and other conservatives.
``When someone loses, we usually write them off,'' said Josh Goldstein, research director of the Center for Responsive Politics. ``Obviously, Oliver North isn't going to allow himself to be written off.''
Despite his loss to Sen. Charles S. Robb, D-Va., last year, North is determined to remain a player on the national political scene with a contributor mailing list that is ``pure gold,'' Goldstein said. Although he has forsworn running next year, North has suggested that another campaign is in his future.
North was on vacation from his nationally syndicated radio talk show this week, and aides did not return several telephone messages seeking comment.
The latest report fits the pattern North established last year with his $20 million campaign, the most money ever raised in any U.S. Senate race. The $1,377,607 that North collected during the first half of 1995 is nearly 10 times as much as Robb took in during the same period.
According to his FEC report, Robb received $152,657 through June 30 (nearly half of it from political action committees) and repaid himself half the $200,000 he lent to his campaign. The rest of that loan is his only outstanding debt, according to the forms.
For his part, North still has his unpaid debts, despite his impressive fund raising. He started out the year owing $526,000 and still owed $375,000 as of June 30. The retired Marine, who became a national figure during the Iran-Contra affair, received all of his money this year from individuals - most in small sums - and none from political action committees.
Instead of paying off the rest of his obligations, North spent everything he took in, much of it on the high-overhead direct-mail solicitation apparatus he uses to raise money.
The new newsletter, dubbed ``Ollie North's Front Lines,'' appears to be a separate effort that will keep his name and voice out there among the conservative faithful across the nation. A subscription offer he sent out suggests that he will offer his trademark no-holds-barred assessments of big government, liberal politicians and the media and alert readers to important legislation he wants passed or killed in Congress. ILLUSTRATION: PAYING FOR VIRGINIA'S 1994 SENATE RACE
Oliver North has raised $1.4 million in the first six months of this
year, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
KEYWORDS: SENATE RACE CAMPAIGN FINANCE by CNB