Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 9, 1995 TAG: 9511090037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Run for re-election, that is.
Late Tuesday, the down-home Shawsville Democrat gave the Republican governor credit again - this time for giving him the edge to defeat challenger Pat Cupp and help Democrats stay even in the Senate.
"I think that the vote ... in particular Montgomery County, was an outright rejection of the policies of the present administration," Marye said.
The cattle farmer and retired Army officer won another four-year tour in Richmond on Tuesday with an unofficial tally of 23,204 to 20,690, giving him 53 percent of the vote. Montgomery provided the edge he needed: he won 60 percent there.
But it was Smyth County that probably cost Cupp, 55, an upset. In Smyth, which Allen and running mate Mike Farris carried in 1993, Republicans had a terrible night. They dropped a House seat and the sheriff's race to Democrats, en route to losing 12 of the 13 races in the county. "That really kind of took the momentum out," Cupp said.
Cupp lost Smyth by 169 votes; to win the election, he should have racked up the votes there. Cupp credited Marye's strong showing to coattails from the sheriff's race, where Democratic challenger David Bradley defeated Republican incumbent John Grubb with 55 percent of the vote in a three-way contest. Cupp spent much of the summer traveling to events in Marion and elsewhere in Smyth to build up his name recognition.
In Montgomery, Cupp agreed with Marye on one point: that Allen's unpopularity hurt him and helped the incumbent.
"I just think the education thing was overwhelming," Cupp said Wednesday.
"I talked to Madison a few minutes ago. I dare say, I don't think we disagree about anything on education. I just couldn't get the message across."
Virginia Tech communications professor Bob Denton also agreed that education and Allen were the keys. "When you compare the two campaigns, I think Pat Cupp ran the better campaign. Madison Marye was certainly not in his best form," Denton said. But "it was a single-issue campaign. This region clearly voted in its self-interest."
The Republican governor's budget-cutting policies irked the 69-year-old Marye just enough to make him want to go through a re-election battle. It was personal: Marye said he saw Allen as trying to tear down institutions he'd spent 22 years in the Senate building up.
Marye was visibly tired but extremely upbeat after he finally stopped tallying numbers at his Shawsville headquarters and drove up the mountain to Blacksburg with his family for a Democratic party at the Best Western Red Lion Inn.
After speeches and celebration, his 6-year-old grandson, Tyler, was sprawled across two chairs, taking an impromptu snooze with a Madison Marye bumper sticker plastered to his shirt. "He's been really keyed up; he even asked me for my autograph," Marye laughed. The senator obliged his grandson.
Marye gave much of the credit for his win to his volunteer campaign manager, Ann Hess, and campaign worker Demetria Somervell, along with other volunteers. "I really thank the Lord for giving me the strength and the courage and wisdom to go forward with the campaign," Marye said. "I'm grateful to my frau of 45 years." Marye met his wife, Charlotte, in Germany while he was stationed there after World War II.
Cupp's wife, Sandy Cupp, said late Tuesday that she was proud of the race her husband had run. The couple owns a Blacksburg real estate and property management company. "The only negative campaigning was against [Marye's] record; nothing personal was said," Sandy Cupp said.
Though he hollered mightily about negative ads in the last two weeks of campaigning, Marye wasn't sure how much of a factor that was in his victory. "I don't guess I've ever experienced quite the same type of campaign," he said. "I'm happy I survived."
Cupp said he had no regrets about the months of campaigning, the 20,000 hands shaken, the $64,000 of his own money thrown into the campaign: "I'm a big winner because I did really learn a lot about the state, and the people I met were great."
Staff writers Lisa Applegate and Kenneth Singletary contributed to this story.
by CNB