THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996 TAG: 9604120021
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Mark Warner, the Northern Virginia cellular telephone whiz who is parlaying self-earned wealth into a bid for service in the U.S. Senate, is poised to capture the Democratic nomination in mass meetings this weekend.
It's a victory he has earned. The final stamp of approval won't come until the party's nominating convention in June, but Warner outdistances rival Leslie Byrne by 3-to-1 in the number of supporters filing to become delegates. Byrne can still win if Warner's backers fail to show up over the next two months, but that's about as likely as the holder of a successful lottery ticket forgetting to pick up the winnings.
In Warner and Byrne, the Democratic Party has fielded two able, if relatively unknown, contenders for the seat occupied by Sen. John Warner. Whether the winner will face Senator Warner or former Reagan budget director Jim Miller won't be decided until a June GOP primary, but the three-term incumbent holds the upper hand in a selection process that is open to all state voters.
Mark Warner, 41, grew up in a middle-class family and makes much of his dependence on student loans to help finance his education at George Washington University and Harvard Law. His low-key, even self-deprecating manner belies an intensity and drive that has earned him a $100 million fortune and made him a key player in the state Democratic Party.
Byrne, a Falls Church business consultant, has been a forceful voice for liberal causes during four terms in the Virginia legislature and one in Congress from the 11th District. She was defeated in the 1994 Republican landslide. Byrne argues that she should be nominated because she is better able than Warner to articulate Democratic principles.
In a debate Tuesday in Virginia Beach, Byrne used to advantage the speaking skills and clarity of vision that she has honed during a decade of public service. But there are several factors, beyond Warner's willingness to tap his private fortune, that make him the best bet for Democrats this election year.
First is the turbulance of the times. Warner believes we are at the threshold of an information-age revolution that will rival the industrial revolution in reshaping the world. Byrne appears philosophically more inclined to view those changes as a threat; Warner, as an opportunity.
Given the inevitability of change, Virginia voters would best be served by the nomination of a man who brings to the political dialogue a deep understanding of the forces at work. This is an area in which political scripts are still being written, and Warner's challenge in the months ahead will be to translate his experience into sound and workable public-policy proposals.
Second, the Democratic Party in Virginia has done best when it has blended business sense with the party's longstanding concern for workers and the downtrodden. In both rhetoric and action, Warner shows an appreciation for public/private partnerships as a source of strength. His work with the Virginia Health Care Foundation, bringing affordable health care to thousands of Virginia's working poor, is commendable.
And third, Warner has invested the time and energy in this race that show he is serious about the quest. Since entering the Virginia political scene during Doug Wilder's 1989 gubernatorial race, he has shown a talent for creating consensus and for building organizations that work. His recent foray into the more public side of politics has included a few missteps, including confusion Tuesday on the specifics of a tax break-for-education idea that he himself was advancing.
Warner quipped that the idea was not quite ready for prime time. Such lapses can be temporarily forgiven in a first-time candidate, but not for long. The warm-up is almost over; prime time is here. Mark Warner deserves the chance to show what he can do. by CNB