Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990                   TAG: 9004250290
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: ROB EURE POLITICAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DEMOCRATS GIVE UP ON U.S. SENATE

In local party meetings Saturday and Monday night, about 1,450 of the 1,750 would-be delegates to a state convention wanted no candidate against Warner. Another 150 said they were uncommitted.

Nancy Spannaus, a follower of jailed political leader Lyndon LaRouche, won no support for her bid for the Democratic nomination, a "repudiation of political extremism," state Democratic Chairman Paul Goldman said.

Although about 10 percent of the delegate count was still out, Goldman declared, "We're entering the ninth inning and we still have the first perfect game in American political history."

With no acceptable candidate for the race, Democrats moved to block Spannaus' candidacy by urging their membership to back the plan to offer no resistence to Warner.

To that end, the party adopted a rule to cancel the convention if more than 50 percent of the Democrats elected as delegates wanted no candidate. That goal was easily met.

In Roanoke County on Monday night, Spannaus had three supporters among the 79 Democrats who showed up for the mass meeting.

Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, who presented a slate of delegates for no candidate to oppose Warner, urged Democrats to reject the politics of "fear and hate" employed by LaRouche supporters.

Statewide, the only person to receive delegate support was former 10th District Rep. Joseph Fisher, who received four delegates in his hometown of Arlington. Fisher, 76, has not announced as a candidate and Goldman said he does not know if Fisher is interested.

Both Goldman and Gov. Douglas Wilder have said they do not know of a strong candidate to oppose Warner, a two-term senator. And they have indicated they would rather have no candidate than a weak challenger.

Roanoke County Democratic Chairman Warren Campbell said that, technically, the state central committee still could select a nominee by a two-thirds vote before the final deadline of June 12, but no such move is expected.

"The party would like to run an electable, viable challenger," Goldman said. Warner, he said, "has been fiddling while the red ink has been mounting in the federal budget."

But, he said, the party needs a "real hound dog" to make a credible showing against Warner, 63, who would be well-financed and favored in any contested election. "We need someone who can deal with being an underdog," Goldman said.

Spannaus has said she may run as an independent.