DATE: Thursday, June 12, 1997               TAG: 9706120009

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

GOP PICKS EARLEY: SOMETIMES NICE GUYS DO FINISH FIRST; BUT THE LOW TURNOUT SHOULD BE SOBERING TO THE EARLEY CAMP

So, what are the lessons of Chesapeake Sen. Mark Earley's victory in the just-ended four-way race for the Republican nomination for attorney general?

There are at least three.

First, it helps to have a political base. Second, party members take seriously the 11th Commandment: ``Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican.'' And third, sometimes, nice guys finish first.

Earley's strong support from the Religious Right was evident across the state. His three competitors mustered impressive showings primarily in their home regions. When Earley didn't win a locality, he usually came in second. No one else came close to having that depth of support.

It was telling - and typical - that even in Virginia Beach, Sen. Kenneth Stolle's hometown, he won only about 1,000 votes more than Earley.

Contributing to Stolle's third-place finish may have been his willingness to assume the role of attack-dog in the campaign. It was he who paid for the commerical showing Northern Virginia attorney Gilbert Davis looking like an intoxicated Lothario. Some Republicans, who'd prefer to keep the dirty laundry in the closet, were not amused.

In fact, Stolle did the party a service by airing that segment, which was shot by a former Davis client. If the piece had not run and the big-spending Davis had won the primary, Democrats would have gleefully displayed a similar ad in the fall. The results for the entire GOP ticket could have been disastrous.

But there was less justification for some other Stolle attacks, including portraying Earley as a pawn of Big Labor. As voters apparently recognized, that charge simply wasn't credible.

While savoring victory, the Earley camp should be sobered by the low turnout. Fewer than 5 percent of state voters participated in the election, hardly a rousing mandate.

Democrats are losing no time in attempting to portray Earley as a extremist on abortion and a devotee of Virginia Beach televangelist Pat Robertson. They should learn a lesson from Stolle and temper their rhetoric.

Earley does not fit the caricature of religious zealot. He is passionate about issues such as abortion, and his record and intentions deserve scrutiny. But his legislative career has been characterized by qualities that are much needed in the political arena: a commitment to principle and a willingness to tackle a wide range of problems with intelligence and hard work.

The race for attorney general should be about ideas and the full records of the men who are running - Earley and Democrat William Dolan, an accomplished Northern Virginia lawyer. If either tries to turn it into a mud-fest, he should be tarred and feathered. KEYWORDS: CANDIDATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S RAC

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