DATE: Wednesday, November 5, 1997           TAG: 9711050561

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LAURA LaFAY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:  183 lines

ATTORNEY GENERAL: EARLEY IS FIRST LOCAL IN STATEWIDE OFFICE SINCE 1986 CONSERVATIVE VISION LIFTS CHESAPEAKE'S EARLEY

State Sen. Mark L. Earley of Chesapeake swept into state office on a tide of Republican fervor Tuesday, easily winning the race for Virginia attorney general.

Earley became the first Virginia attorney general with strong open ties to both the evangelical Christian movement and abortion rights opponents.

``Virginia is a state where history is made, and history was made tonight,'' said GOP state party Chairman Del. J. Randy Forbes before presenting the victorious Earley to a crowd assembled at the downtown Marriott.

``I want to thank the voters of Virginia for showing confidence in the future and not fear about the future,'' the 43-year-old Earley told supporters.

His wife, Cynthia, his six children, his parents and his in-laws stood next to him.

Earley drew strong support in Hampton Roads, particularly his hometown. In Chesapeake, he tallied a 2-to-1 margin over opponent William D. Dolan III, a feat he nearly matched in Virginia Beach. The race was slightly tighter in Suffolk, and he lost by narrow margins in Portsmouth and Norfolk.

His victory also will make him the first South Hampton Roads resident to hold statewide office since Portsmouth resident Richard J. Davis' term as lieutenant governor ended in 1986.

Earley spent 10 years in the Senate, where he built a solid conservative political resume before throwing his hat into the race for attorney general this year.

He ran on that resume - emphasizing his prominent role in popular Republican initiatives such as parole, abolition and parental notification of minors seeking abortions.

He also positioned himself as a possible political heir to Gov. George F. Allen and James S. Gilmore III - whose popularity was made apparent by Tuesday's sweeping returns.

But the meaning of Earley's victory extends beyond his affiliation with Allen and Gilmore, pundits say. It lies with his diplomacy.

Earley has an unusual ability to retain a strong base within his own party while reaching out effectively for the respect and support of other groups, said Robert Holsworth, a political scientist at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Holsworth speculated Tuesday that Earley was elected both because of his social conservative views and in spite of them.

``His conservative base helps him, and then he manages to extend beyond it in a manner that is at the moment unique in Virginia politics,'' Holsworth said.

Virginia Beach religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, who contributed $35,000 to Earley's campaign, showed up at the Richmond Marriott just as the GOP sweep began to look irrefutable.

Robertson saw Earley's victory in a different light. It was, he said, ``a repudiation of anti-Christian bigotry.''

``Virginians are fair-minded, and they believe that every individual has the right to express his or her opinion in the public arena - by his voice or by his contributions,'' Robertson said. ``And so to attack somebody for doing this, merely because he happens to have faith in God, is just outrageous. And that's what this amounts to as far as I'm concerned.''

Dolan, Earley's Democratic opponent, often cited Robertson's contributions to Earley's campaign as evidence that Robertson sought to control Earley once Earley was elected.

Dolan also criticized Earley for seeking tax-exempt status from the General Assembly for one of Robertson's business ventures.

Robertson passed out a chart to reporters titled, ``RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY BACKFIRES.''

The chart showed evenly split support for gubernatorial candidates Donald S. Beyer Jr. and Gilmore until Oct. 1 when Beyer began airing a television ad attacking Robertson. At that point, said Robertson aide Gene Kapp, the Christian Coalition alerted its members with a mailing entitled, ``STOP THE BIGOTRY.''

According to the chart, that's when support for Beyer began to plummet.

Virginia voters ``repudiated Mary Sue Terry, who lost a similar campaign against me,'' said Robertson, referring to Allen's victory over Terry in 1994.

``They repudiated Don Beyer and Dolan at this election, who came against me. . . .I hope the Democrats have learned a lesson.''

Red-eyed and somber, Dolan conceded the race at Richmond's Jefferson Hotel and vowed that his defeat was ``the beginning of the cycle back for the Democratic party.''

``Remember the positive piece of this,'' Dolan told his supporters, many of whom wept. ``We will fight again. We will find a ticket that will win. Because we are still right on the issues. They are still wrong. And we will be back.''

Forbes, who represents Chesapeake in the House of Delegates, said he will announce today his intention to seek Earley's Senate seat as soon as a special election can be arranged.

``It's important in the Tidewater area that we continue to do what Mark has done. That's going to be a crucial seat for the people of Hampton Roads and Virginia.'' MEMO: Staff writers Liz Szabo and Matthew Dolan contributed to this

story. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

BETH BERGMAN NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot

Mark L. Earley, left, and James S. Gilmore III...

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Mark Earley, with his youngest daughter, Anne Harris, while his wife

Cynthia stands behind him, hopes winning the attorney general's seat

will position him to follow James S. Gilmore III as governor in four

years.

Photo

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

...Mark Earley...

Graphic

ATTORNEY GENERAL-ELECT

MARK L. EARLEY

Republican

What he brings to the office

Family: Born July 26, 1954, in Norfolk. One of two children. His

father worked for Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and his mother recently

retired from the Chesapeake School Board. Wife: Cynthia; Children:

Rachel, Justin, Mark Jr., Mary Catherine, Franklin Edward and Ann

Harris

Lifestyle: Earley grew up in the Oaklette section of Chesapeake,

where he still lives. He is a member of the Atlantic Shores Baptist

Church. He worked as a campus minister and served as a missionary

before becoming a lawyer.

Reputation: Even those who strongly disagree with Earley's

conservative, Christian values-driven political agenda say they

respect the sincerity and commitment he brings to the table.

Education and Experience:

B.A., College of William and Mary, 1976

J.D., College of William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law,

1982

Partner: Tavss, Fletcher, Earley and King, Norfolk

Member, Virginia State Senate, 1987-present. Represents the 14th

Senatorial District, comprising Chesapeake and part of Virginia

Beach

His General Assembly career has been defined by his promotion of

issues important to the religious right.

Earley has worked to restrict abortion, to abolish parole and

welfare and, recently, to introduce a constitutional amendment

enshrining the rights of parents to ``direct the upbringing'' of

their children.

But he has also been open to labor-related issues and has worked

on behalf of the mentally ill.

The job he says he'll do

``I will apply the same principles I have tried to consistently

apply in my 10 years in the Senate: that each individual has dignity

and worth and that government works best when it is efficient,

limited, and supportive of families and that consistency and honesty

are prerequisites to public service. These principles caused me to

fight for welfare reform, juvenile justice reform, crime victims'

rights, and parental notification as a senator and allowed me to put

my `stamp' on that office.

``How an individual attorney general puts his `stamp' on the

office is less important than the principles he applies in carrying

out his duties.''

Other promises and priorities:

Preserve Allen administration's welfare reform measures.

Preserve the Allen administration's gains in juvenile justice

reform and parole reform.

Spend more on community-based gang prevention.

Pass a state anti-racketeering law.

Create a statewide school-based program to prevent young people

from joining gangs.

Stiffen penalties for juveniles who commit ``nuisance'' crimes

like vandalism.

Where he stands

Abortion: Opposes abortion except in cases where the life of the

mother is at risk.

Schools: Supports the state Board of Education's new standards

and testing program. Would support vouchers if tested and if the

plan doesn't discriminate.

Tobacco: Opposes FDA regulation of tobacco. Wants the national

tobacco settlement to include provisions protecting farmers and

preventing youth smoking. Supports enforcement of laws against

tobacco sales to minors.

Gun control: Opposes the Brady bill five-day waiting period on

handgun purchases. Supports Second Amendment rights of law-abiding

citizens.

Affirmative action: Supports; opposes quotas.

Death penalty: Supports Virginia's death penalty statute. KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA RESULTS ATTORNEY

GENERAL RACE VIRGINIA

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