Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9412240005
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: G4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
DISTRICT REGION DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN INDEPENDENT OUTLOOK
1 From Hampton and Newport News to the Northern Neck.
Mary Sinclair Rep. Herb Bateman Bateman, who faced some close races in recent years, is considered a shoo-in against this little-known York County supervisor.
2 Virginia Beach and part of Norfolk
Rep. Owen Pickett Jim Chapman The moderate Pickett has steered clear of Clinton and looked after Hampton Roads' military bases, two things in his favor in this district. But re-districting robbed him of some of his best precincts and Chapman won 45 percent two years ago. He's hoping an anti-Clinton tide will lift him higher this year. A key race to watch.
3 A string of mostly inner-city precincts in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Richmond and Petersburg.
Rep. Bobby Scott Tom Ward The state's first black congressman since the 19th century is running in a black-majority district against a Republican who's white and not well-known. Scott should win easily.
4 From the Piedmont to Petersburg to Portsmouth.
Rep. Norman Sisisky George Sweet Sisisky hasn't had a tough race since he first won election in 1982. Democrats don't think this one should be, either. The district is tilted in Democrats' favor. But Republicans insist Sweet, the pastor of a Chesapeake Baptist church, is running a surprisingly strong campaign. A sleeper? A curiosity: Sweet towers 6'8" tall. He and his diminutive wife call themselves "Sweet'n'Low."
7. From Richmond through Culpeper to the Blue Ridge.
Rep. Tom Bliley Gerald Berg The state's most Republican district. No wonder the only opposition Bliley has drawn is from a follower of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche.
8. Northern Virginia. Rep. Jim Moran Kyle McSlarrow William Jones Ward Edmonds
Moran beat McSlarrow by a comfortable margin two years ago. The re-match should be closer. A complicating factor for both sides: Moran's young daughter has a brain tumor. That's sidelined Moran from campaigning, but also forced McSlarrow to keep a low profile when Moran was spending much of his time with his family.
10. Northern Virginia and the northern Shenandoah Valley.
Rep. Frank Wolf Alan Ogden Wolf faces only token opposition from yet another LaRouche disciple.
11. Northern Virginia.
Rep. Leslie Byrne Tom Davis Gordon Cruickshank One of the most competitive races in the country. A swing district to begin with, this contest could turn as much on style as substance. Republicans contend Byrne, Virginia's first congresswoman, is confrontational while Davis, the ambitious chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is a consensus-builder. Democrats counter that Byrne is a figher while Davis is a cipher.
current House line-up: 7 Democrats, 4 Republicans
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB