THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 8, 1996 TAG: 9604080081
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 280 lines
The rhetoric is low, the bumper stickers are scarce and the airwaves are devoid of campaign commercials.
At this quiet stage of the 1996 campaign season, three Democrats and two Republicans are engaged in an intricate chess game for their parties' approval and nomination for the U.S. Senate this spring.
Democrats are likely to decide their nominations through a Byzantine series of 134 local mass meetings and caucuses that will be held around the state on Saturday and next Monday.
Mark R. Warner, a wealthy businessman and former state Democratic chairman, is widely expected to win the nod over Leslie L. Byrne, a former one-term congresswoman from Northern Virginia. Also running is Nancy K. Spannaus, a perennial candidate for statewide office and follower of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche.
Voters will choose the Republican nominee in a June 11 primary election. Three-term incumbent John W. Warner, who has alienated many GOP leaders in recent years by refusing to support other party nominees, is facing a tough challenge from James C. Miller III, a former federal budget chief in the Reagan administration.
The goal for Democratic and Republican candidates alike sounds simple: Make sure your supporters show up to vote. But in practice, inspiring people to participate in nominating contests is one of the toughest challenges a candidate ever faces.
For Democrats, it means convincing supporters to set aside several hours on Saturday or Monday night to attend a caucus at some local auditorium and publicly declare their allegiance to a candidate.
The caucuses are the ultimate insiders' game in politics. Fewer than 15,000 people are expected to attend them this month, even though the meetings are open to any registered voter who is willing to sign a loyalty oath to the state Democratic Party.
The rules: At each local meeting, each campaign puts forth a list of supporters running to become delegates at the state Democratic Convention, June 7-8 in Hampton. Then, the campaign that turns out the most supporters at the meeting gets its slate of delegates elected - on a winner-take-all basis - to the state convention.
A total of 3,500 delegates will be elected to the state convention, and a candidate must have the support of at least 1,751 of them to claim the nomination.
Many observers expect that Mark Warner will win enough delegates next weekend to lock up the nomination. Warner, 41, has been campaigning for more than a year and has deep connections with Democratic organizers across the state as a result of his stint as state party chairman from 1993-95.
Warner, a telecommunications investment banker, estimates his personal wealth to be in excess of $100 million and has pledged to use some of his assets to win the Senate seat. Of the $830,000 Warner reported raising last year, $516,000 came from his own pocket.
From the stump, Warner pledges to be part of a new generation of computer-literate leaders committed to improving education and enabling people to compete in ``the technological revolution.''
Byrne, 49, is a latecomer to the field, announcing her candidacy last December. After a seven-year career as a state delegate, she was elected to Congress in 1992 from the newly created 11th District in Northern Virginia. Two years later, she lost a re-election bid.
With little following outside of Northern Virginia and little money to spend on a campaign, Byrne is making broad appeals to traditional constituencies of the Democratic Party such as labor unions, feminists and environmentalists.
Known as an aggressive campaigner, Byrne has refrained from criticizing Warner. She has portrayed herself as an unapologetic liberal.
``I believe that Democrats win when we stand up for the principles on which our party was founded and lose when the crypto-Republicans speak for us,'' she said.
The Republican primary is becoming a referendum on Sen. John Warner's questionable loyalty to the state party and its conservative agenda.
Warner, 69, outraged conservative leaders by publicly refusing to support two recent party nominees: Michael P. Farris for lieutenant governor in 1993 and Oliver L. North for the U.S. Senate in 1994. Many party leaders blame Warner for Farris and North's subsequent defeats.
Warner says he was merely following his conscience. He said he did not know enough about Farris to issue a personal endorsement and questioned North's honesty as a result of his actions in the Iran-Contra affair.
Warner argues that he should not be expected to blindly follow the whims of the state party. ``My campaign will answer this question: Can an elected official vote his conscience putting principle before politics, and win?''
Many of Miller's supporters say Warner has drifted from the party's conservative base. In addition to the senator's actions in recent elections, they point out that Warner has supported abortion rights, opposed Robert Bork for the Supreme Court in 1987 and supported several tax increases over the past decade.
``Isn't it about time Virginia had in the United States Senate a Reagan Republican instead of a Clinton Republican?'' Miller said.
Miller, 53, is running far to the right of Warner and promises to vote against any tax increase. He has vowed to oppose abortion, except when a mother's life is in danger.
As things stand now, any Virginia registered voter is eligible to vote in the primary. But several GOP leaders have filed a suit asking the courts to restrict participation to only those who will profess allegiance to the Republican Party. A hearing on the suit is scheduled for April 18.
The campaigns expect about 400,000 Virginians - about 13 percent of the state's registered voters - to vote in the primary.
Miller is banking on the support and organization of conservative party leaders who are anxious to push Warner out. Prominent in that group is Farris, who is trying to organize evangelical voters behind Miller.
Warner is seeking support from the moderate, pro-business sector of the party. He is also hoping that a huge edge in fund-raising will allow him to overwhelm Miller during the closing weeks of the campaign with a torrent of television advertising.
``Miller has a highly committed group of grassroots organizers behind him with a lot of experience in turning out the vote and a lot of ideological fervor,'' said Mark Rozell, a political scientist at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg. ``The key will be whether Warner can succeed in mobilizing moderate Republicans who may not feel there is as much at stake.'' MEMO: MORE INFO
Questions about the Democratic Party: Call 804-644-1966 or
1-800-322-1144.
Questions about the Republican Party: Call 804-780-0111.
ABOUT THE CANDIDATES
James C. Miller III
Republican
Home: McLean, Va.
Born: June 25, 1942, in Conyers, Ga.
Education: University of Georgia, B.B.A., 1964; University of
Virginia, Ph.D., 1969.
Occupation: Economist.
Public Career: Chairman, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 1981-85;
Director, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 1985-88.
``Isn't it about time Virginia had in the United States Senate a
Reagan Republican instead of a Clinton Republican?''
John W. Warner
Republican
Home: Alexandria, Va.
Born: Feb. 18, 1927, in Washington, D.C.
Education: Washington & Lee University, B.S., 1949; University of
Virginia, LL.B. 1953.
Occupation: U.S. Senator
Public Career: Navy, 1944-46; Marine Corps, 1950-52; Assistant U.S.
Attorney, 1956-60; Undersecretary of the U.S. Navy, 1969-72; Secretary
of the U.S. Navy, 1972-74; Director of the American Revolutionary
Bicentennial Commission, 1974-76; U.S. Senate, 1978-present.
``My campaign will answer this question: Can an elected leader vote
his conscience, putting principle before politics, and win?''
Leslie L. Byrne
Democrat
Home: Falls Church, Va.
Born: Oct. 27, 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Education: Attended University of Utah, 1964-65
Occupation: Personnel industry consultant
Public Career: President, Fairfax League of Women Voters, 1982-83;
Virginia House of Delegates, 1985-92; U.S. House of Representatives,
1993-94.
``I know I have a reputation for being tough. I accept it with pride
because we need someone who is willing to ask the tough questions, who
is willing to stand up for what is right; to stand up for our families
and our communities; and who is willing to stand up against the
privileged and the powerful.''
Nancy K. Spannaus
Democrat
Home: Lovettsville, Va.
Born: Dec. 13, 1943 in Portland, Maine
Education: Bryn Mawr College, A.B., 1965; Columbia University, MSW,
1967.
Occupation: Editor-in-chief, New Federalist newspaper.
Public career: Unsuccessfully sought Democratic nominations for the
U.S. Senate in 1990 and 1994 and for governor in 1993.
``My campaign will assert the unparalleled authority of the movement
headed by (Lyndon) LaRouche.''
Mark R. Warner
Home: Alexandria, Va.
Born: Dec. 15, 1954 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Education: George Washington University, B.A. 1977; Harvard
University, L.LB, 1980.
Occupation: Investment banker specializing in wireless
communications.
Public career: Commonwealth Transportation Board, 1990-94; Chairman,
Democratic Party of Virginia, 1993-95.
``The technological revolution in our country will have just as big
if not a bigger impact on our nation as the industrial revolution - and
this time we won't have 60 years to catch up. We must be prepared. Yet
many politicians of today are just as ill-prepared for this revolution
as the politicians of 100 years ago.''
ABOUT THE PROCESS
Virginia is a caucus/convention state, which means delegates and
alternates to the national political conventions - which nominate
presidential candidates this year - are chosen through a series of
steps, a pyramid of sorts: Local meetings feed regional ones at the
congressional district level, which in turn feed the state meeting and,
ultimately, the national convention.
THE STEPS
County and city caucuses were held earlier this year by Republicans.
Democrats will hold theirs on either April 13 at noon or April 15 at
7:30 p.m.
For so-called ``assembled'' caucuses, doors are closed at a certain
time. Latecomers are turned away. Check-in times are usually one hour
before caucus time. Other caucuses, such as the one in Virginia Beach,
are open for voting in a certain time frame. Call ahead for details.
Participants must be registered to vote. Participants in these county
and city caucuses (also called mass meetings) elect state delegates and
alternates to the congressional district and state conventions.
Congressional district conventions - where participants elect
delegates to the national convention and, in some districts, choose a
congressional nominee - will be held May 4, 11 or 18.
The state convention where other national delegates are chosen. This
year, Democrats are choosing a U.S. Senate nominee this year.
Sources: Information provided by the state parties.
CALENDAR
Today. Pre-filing deadline for people who want to serve as delegates
and alternates to the Democratic conventions.
Paperwork must be to city chairmen, chairwomen or precinct captains
by 5 p.m. for caucuses held Saturday, the 13th.
Wednesday, April 10. Pre-filing deadline. By 5 p.m. for Democratic
caucuses held Friday, April 15.
Saturday, April 13. Chesapeake Democratic caucus. Noon. Check-in
earlier. Great Bridge Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 333 Cedar
Road. Contact: David Midkiff, 547-9507.
Saturday, April 13. Norfolk Democratic caucus. Noon. Check-in
earlier. Suburban Park Elementary School. Contact: William Nusbaum,
622-4226
Saturday, April 13. Virginia Beach Democratic caucus. Noon to 3 p.m.
Democratic Headquarters, Yorktown Commerce Center, 228 N. Lynnhaven,
Suite 103. Contact: Sandra Brandt, 340-9033
Saturday, April 13. Portsmouth Democratic caucus. Noon. Check-in
earlier. Portsmouth City Hall. Contact: Robert Barclay, 483-1145.
Monday, April 15. Suffolk Democratic caucus. 7:30 p.m. Check-in
earlier. City Council Chambers, 441 Market St. Contact: Faye Goodloe
Sobel, 539-6234.
April 15. Deadline for candidates to file reports about sources of
their campaign money with the Federal Election Commission.
May 4. Democrats hold a convention for the 3rd Congressional District
to elect delegates to the national convention. In Surry.
May 11. Democrats hold conventions for the 1st Congressional District
in Fredericksburg and the 2nd Congressional District in Virginia Beach.
May 13. Last day to register and be eligible to vote in the June
primary.
May 18. Republicans hold conventions for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
congressional districts, where they elect delegates to the national
convention. Meetings held in Williamsburg (1st); Norfolk (2nd) and in
Williamsburg (3rd).
May 31-June 1. Republicans hold a state convention in Salem to choose
additional delegates to the national convention, elect a new state party
chairman and fill a variety of other party posts.
June 7-8. Virginia Democrats hold a state convention in Hampton to
choose a U.S. Senate candidate and elect additional delegates to the
national convention.
June 11. Election Day. Virginia Republicans hold primary to choose a
U.S. Senate candidate.
Aug. 12-16. Republican National Convention in San Diego.
Aug. 26-29. Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Oct. 11. Last chance to register and be eligible to vote this
November.
Nov. 5. Election Day. Voting for president, U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos
James C. Miller III
John W. Warner
Leslie L. Byrne
Nancy K. Spannaus
Mark R. Warner
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN PARTY
CANDIDATE SENATE RACE CAUCUS PRIMARY by CNB