THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 12, 1995 TAG: 9509120296
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE AND WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
A Republican fund-raising group on Monday accused Democratic legislators of trying to tie themselves to Gov. George F. Allen's popularity in this fall's elections, despite having killed many of his proposals last winter.
The Campaign for Honest Change, a political action committee controlled by Allen, released a scorecard that concluded the average Democrat supported the governor less then 20 percent of the time on key votes.
``They can't have it both ways,'' said Anne Petera, a board member of Allen's PAC.
``They can't trash the governor in the winter during the session with their votes, then come back in the fall with cheap, hollow words of support.''
Leaders of the PAC complained that several uncooperative Democrats are using pictures of themselves with Allen in campaign literature and television commercials. Among those accused of the ``deception'' were Sen. Clarence A. Holland of Virginia Beach and Del. George H. Heilig of Norfolk.
The group compiled its ratings by computing the percentage of the time legislators supported the governor on 27 votes in the House of Delegates and 14 in the Senate.
Del. M. Kirkland Cox, a Colonial Heights Republican who serves as the PAC's honorary chairman, said the group selected votes on proposals it considered critical components to Allen's agenda.
But the organization omitted a number of votes that would have either deflated Republicans' high levels of support for Allen or inflated the rating of Democrats.
For example, the ratings do not include a series of votes last February when most Republicans rejected spending cuts proposed by Allen.
And Democrats who did not support an early version of a proposed welfare reform bill were penalized, even if they voted for a subsequent draft that Allen ultimately signed into law.
``It looks like they're trying to rewrite history,'' said Gail Nardi, a spokeswoman for General Assembly Democrats.
Cox said the PAC will distribute the scorecards widely this fall. by CNB