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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 25, 1993                   TAG: 9308250242
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

STATUS SQUABBLE RAGES ON

"I do not believe that simply having a family makes anyone a better governor . . . or better qualified to lead Virginia," Allen said.

Terry is single and has no children. On Monday, Allen said that his family status "makes me more understanding of the challenges facing the families of Virginia, having had to face those challenges along with them."

Allen's retreat came after the Terry campaign accused him of trying to make an issue of Terry's status as a single woman.

"It's a sad commentary if his campaign has stooped that low," Terry said.

Earlier Tuesday, a group of Terry supporters called a news conference to denounce Allen's statement.

"I really never thought in all the years that I've been voting in Virginia that I would see politics degenerate to a level where marriage would be an issue," said Virginia Dalton, a retired Richmond schoolteacher.

Allen blamed reporters Tuesday for blowing his comment out of proportion.

He said he did not intend to draw a comparison with Terry. What he was trying to say, he added, was that he personally has become more sensitive to family issues since becoming a father.

"It's a part of who I am," he said.

"I am never embarrassed or ashamed of the fact that I have children, and I will not allow Mary Sue - or the media for that matter - to try to put me on the defensive for being married and having kids," he said.

Allen also disassociated himself from a comment by his campaign treasurer, Richmond businessman James C. Wheat III, that Terry's marital status "is one attribute people should focus on."

"I want to make it completely clear that I do not concur with that sentiment," Allen said.

Keywords:
POLITICS