THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060372
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 101 lines
Bob Dole had at least one consolation Tuesday: He carried the Old Dominion.
Dole preserved a winning streak of eight presidential elections for the Virginia GOP, dating back to Richard Nixon in 1968.
``We have done our job in the Commonwealth of Virginia for Bob Dole,'' declared Gov. George Allen, to the delight of 400 Republicans gathered in a Falls Church hotel ballroom.
Dole's narrow margin in a Republican safe-bet like Virginia, however, was a sure sign he was in trouble nationwide.
The former Kansas senator captured 47 percent of the Virginia vote, 2 percentage points better than Democratic President Bill Clinton, with 97 percent of precincts reporting. Independent Ross Perot had 7 percent of the vote.
In South Hampton Roads, Clinton captured 49 percent en route to winning the region he lost four years ago. In 1992, Clinton took 42 percent to George Bush's 44 percent.
In carrying the state, Dole still allowed Democrats room to celebrate; Tuesday's results were the closest since a southern Democrat, Jimmy Carter, ran for president in 1976.
``It's a reflection of the national mandate the president has gotten that he got such tremendous support in Virginia,'' said Chuck Dolan, state chairman of the Clinton campaign. ``A year ago, nobody thought Clinton would be in play in October, let alone on Election Day.''
Pocketbook issues boosted Clinton across the state.
Many voters did not buy Dole's claim that the Clinton administration had botched the economy. Three-fourths of voters surveyed said they thought Virginia's economy was as good or better than it was four years ago, according to an exit poll conducted by The Associated Press and Voters News Service.
Phillip Layman, a union pipefitter from the New River Valley in Southwest Virginia, said he voted for Clinton because he no longer has to leave the state to find work.
``People are working and people are making money, and that's what it all boils down to,'' Layman said.
Dole also was hurt by a tepid reaction in suburbs across the state. Turnout was down in some key GOP precincts. While Clinton lagged in the suburbs, he made inroads compared to four years ago.
In Virginia Beach, with all 66 precincts reporting, Clinton garnered 41 percent of the vote, up from 32 percent in 1992.
The president came within 537 votes of carrying Chesapeake.
Dole did particularly well among voters who considered character a paramount issue.
Amy Couch, a 25-year-old mother of two from Virginia Beach, said she leaned toward Clinton most of the fall, but ended up voting for Dole.
``What threw me off was the commercial showing Clinton saying he'd inhale (marijuana) next time. I cringed. I didn't want my kids to see that,'' Couch said.
``I believe a lot of the stuff the pundits say, that if (Clinton) is elected, you're going to have two years of wasted time investigating him, instead of addressing our problems,'' said Nat Jackson, 30, a UPS driver from Chesapeake.
``I have a lot of respect for Dole as a person,'' said Sylvia Wade, a restaurant owner from Forest, a Lynchburg suburb. ``I think he's a decent, honest person and I think if there was anything wrong with him, people would have found out by now.''
But some voters said Dole, at 73, was too old for the job of chief executive.
``I don't want to live in the past. That's where Dole said he wanted to take us,'' Willie Stewart, an 18-year-old high school student from Virginia Beach, said after casting his first presidential ballot.
William Royster, 72, of Norfolk said he voted for Clinton in part because he believed World War II veterans like himself and Dole should be enjoying their retirement.
``I'm 72,'' Royster said. ``Sometimes I'm out cutting the grass and I have to kneel down.''
The Virginia vote was watched closely nationally.
Public opinion polls throughout the campaign suggested Clinton had a chance to break the GOP's winning streak in the state. He led Dole by as much as 13 percent during the summer. They were tied in the most recent poll.
Political analysts said the fact that Virginia was competitive did not bode well nationally for Dole.
With only 13 electoral votes at stake in what has been a reliably Republican state, Clinton largely ignored Virginia. He came to Virginia only once, for a rally with Democratic Senate candidate Mark Warner the week before the election.
Dole made five trips to Virginia, most of them relatively early in the campaign. He also began advertising on television in Virginia earlier than Clinton, who just began airing ads in the Norfolk and Roanoke areas this week. MEMO: Staff writers Meredith Cohn, Kathy Loan, Richard Foster, Christina
Nuckols, Dave Addis, Paul Clancy, Tom Holden and Bill Reed and The
Associated Press contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Bob Dole, his life's dream ended, conceded defeat at 11:25 p.m. -
and said, ``I am still the most optimistic man in America.''
Graphic
The Vote in South Hampton Raods
While Dole captured Virginia, Clinton won South Hampton Roads
KEYWORDS: PRESIDENTIAL RACE RESULTS REPUBLICAN PARTY
ELECTION by CNB