THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512080001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
James C. Miller III, federal budget director during the Reagan and Bush years, could have easily defeated Virginia's scandal-scarred junior U.S. senator, Democrat Chuck Robb, in last year's knockdown-drag-out senatorial election. But the state Republican Party instead chose controversial Iran-Contra figure Oliver North, who came in second in a three-way race won by Mr. Robb.
Now Mr. Miller, whose conservative credentials are impeccable, is out to unseat Virginia's senior U.S. senator, fellow Republican John W. Warner, who backed him at the convention against Mr. North.
On Tuesday, Mr. Miller formally announced his candidacy for the party's nomination. He came out swinging, painting Senator Warner as a sometime Republican. The senator alienated state religious-right party activists by refusing to support Mike Farris for lieutenant governor and sponsoring an independent run by former Virginia Attorney General Marshall Coleman to defeat Mr. North.
The activists' fury at the senator makes Mr. Miller a shoo-in if state Republicans are allowed to hold a convention. But Virginia's peculiar election law - passed to protect incumbent Byrd Machine U.S. senators and U.S. representatives - authorizes Mr. Warner to demand and get a primary, where his odds for gaining the nomination would improve.
Virginia voters are not required to register as Democrats, Republicans or anything else. Mr. Warner is more popular with moderate Republicans, Democrats and independents than with the conservatives who control his own party. For that reason, an open primary would give him his best chance of being tapped once again to carry the GOP banner into a campaign.
The Miller candidacy virtually guarantees that 1996 will be the third consecutive year in which Virginia politics will command widespread attention. Almost surely, Miller supporters will go to court to challenge the constitutionality of the statute leaving the primary-or-convention choice to incumbents. A ruling of unconstitutionality would clear the way for the GOP to select Mr. Miller and force Senator Warner to seek re-election as an independent or retire from public life.
Mr. Miller steps forward as a proud Reagan Republican who supports outlawing abortion, except to save women's lives, and the congressional Republicans' crusade to shrink government spending, taxation and and regulatory authority. He hits the campaign trail joyfully and will surely energize the faithful. Personable and articulate, he may well appeal to a broad spectrum of the electorate, especially in a state tilted toward Republicans. He likely would present in next November's general election an option markedly different from the Democrats' nominee - and an opportunity for voters to further define where Virginians stand politically. Senator Warner faces a formidable threat. by CNB