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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 8, 1993                   TAG: 9312090320
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

MAILINGS COSTS MAY FORCE CHANGES IN CAMPAIGN REPORTS

The two men turned in reports last week that showed Shuler, a Democrat, outspent his GOP opponent by a 4-to-1 margin on his way to victory.

But Rush's report doesn't include the cost of four direct mailings paid for by the state Republican Party.

And Shuler's report lacks the cost of an attack ad sent out against the Blacksburg veterinarian's wishes in the campaign's waning days. The state Democratic caucus was responsible for the ad.

Rush said Tuesday it was his understanding that because his campaign didn't actually pay for the ads, he didn't have to include them on his report.

He estimated their cost at $10,000 and said he would check with the state party to see if he had to amend his finance statement.

If amended at that amount, it would mean that Shuler still outspent Rush by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Michael Brown, secretary of the state Board of Elections, said Monday that any type of ``in-kind'' contribution - a good or service given to a campaign - should be recorded on reports submitted by both the candidate and the political party.

The candidate's report should indicate what he or she received and from whom, Brown said. The form requires goods and services valued at more than $100 be reported.

A candidate who omits an in-kind contribution can easily amend a report, Brown said. ``That happens all the time.''

Shuler spokesman Paul Mitchem, who first pointed out Rush's missing flier costs, said Monday that the Democrat's report, too, may be incomplete.

Mitchem said he would check with caucus officials to determine if they paid anything to a Texas-based firm for the direct mailing. If so, that cost would need to be added to the paperwork. He estimated the cost at no more than $5,000.

Shuler had reported two other in-kind contributions during the campaign: $3,150 for a phone survey conducted by the Democratic caucus and $250 for two month's rent of office space from HCMF Corp. in Blacksburg.

Without the cost of that mailing included, Shuler spent $50,341 on his election to represent Blacksburg, part of Christiansburg, northern and western Montgomery County and eastern Giles County. That's more than retiring Del. Joan Munford spent to defend the seat at any one time during the last four elections. Rush, by contrast, spent $12,792, not including the cost of the four mailings.

But it`s far less than the $200,000 spent in recent years by some House candidates in Northern Virginia and Tidewater, or the $193,655 House Majority leader Richard Cranwell spent last month defending his 14th District seat. Cranwell's spending total is the most ever for a House candidate in Southwest Virginia.

Keywords:
POLITICS