Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 14, 1994 TAG: 9403140012
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Margaret Edds
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Between now and June 3, when state Republicans gather in Richmond to nominate a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Virginians can expect an outpouring of wild distortions, half-truths and unsubstantiated claims when it comes to the face-off between candidates Oliver North and Jim Miller.
Sorting out fact from fiction on who's winning where may well be an impossible task until the 8,782 ballots are cast on June 4.
Consider the straight-faced aplomb with which the campaigns already are bandying about numbers.
About 51 percent of the individuals prefiling to become convention delegates from populous Fairfax County are backing Miller, says the former U.S. budget director's campaign.
Wrong; 74 percent in Fairfax are with North, say supporters of the retired lieutenant colonel and Irangate luminary.
Sixty percent of prospective Arlington delegates are for Miller, his campaign says. Nope, that's 55 percent in Arlington with North, counter North's folks.
And so on.
"Their numbers totally lack credibility," says Miller spokesman Jonathan Baron, who's taken the extra step of putting out names and phone numbers of supporters in some localities.
"Their numbers are created a week or so before they give them out," counters Mark Merritt, spokesman for North.
Adding to the confusion is the labyrinthine GOP nominating process. Delegates to the June convention are being chosen this month in localities across Virginia. In Roanoke, for instance, the meeting is Saturday.
But only those who meet an earlier prefiling deadline can make the list. And each delegate vote can be split among up to five people, if a locality choses.
Despite the opposing claims, interviews with party faithful suggest that movement in the race is toward Miller. What's not clear - and remains doubtful - is that there's enough movement to derail North.
Complicating the scenario for Miller is the fact that the race, for all practical purposes, probably will be decided by April 1, the day delegate selection winds up. Delegates still can change their minds, but wholesale shifts are unlikely.
Signs of North slippage are evident across the state, however. In Southside, Brunswick County Chairman William James, who committed to North some months ago, acknowledged: "I'm wobbling all over the place."
Meanwhile, at midweek 21 GOP lawmakers showed up for a news conference endorsing North. That's substantially fewer than even North's supporters believe were backing their man a month ago.
"At one point for sure, he had a majority of both houses, and he may still," said Del. Robert Tata of Virginia Beach, a North man. But some legislative backers now are waiting for North to "clear the air" before going public, he said.
That's good news for Miller. But before his supporters start celebrating, they'd best remember one of the few counts in this election season that can be confirmed. Thus far, the number of lawmakers publicly committed to Miller stands at four.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB