THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606090088
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 27 lines
First District Democrats tapped a maritime labor union leader as an 11th-hour candidate for the congressional seat now held by Republican Rep. Herbert Bateman.
Russell Axsom, 60, of Hampton, criticized Bateman for doing nothing to ensure that working men and women reap more of the benefits from defense shipbuilding contracts.
``There's more to it than just bringing jobs, which is what any congressman would do for their district,'' Axsom said during an interview on the floor of the state Democratic Convention here.
Axsom pledged to work for an increase in the minimum wage, outlaw striker replacement legislation and beef up Worker's Compensation benefits.
Democrats have been hesitant to run against Bateman in the overwhelmingly Republican 1st Congressional District, which includes Virginia's Eastern Shore. But party officials feared getting caught on the outside chance that Bateman would lose to conservative David Caprara in a GOP primary next Tuesday.
The son of a coal miner, Axsom left Southwest Virginia in 1959 for Newport News Shipbuilding where he still works. Axsom is president of the Virginia Peninsula Central Labor Council and vice president of the state AFL-CIO. by CNB