ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 29, 1996 TAG: 9602290069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
Campbell County businessman Ron Buchanan has a lot to say, and he's spent $2,000 to make sure he'll be heard.
That's the filing fee charged by the Republican Party to run for its nomination for the 5th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Buchanan started getting his money's worth Wednesday, as he spoke from behind a wooden lectern erected on the shoulder of a road facing the scrap yard of the Lynchburg Foundry and became the fourth candidate to seek the nomination.
"At this place, we see the destruction of heavy industry in America caused by the bureaucracy of our federal government," Buchanan said. Unfair regulations are keeping business owners from competing in the foreign markets, he added.
Even though Lynchburg is not in the 5th District, which stretches from Charlottesville to Danville, many residents of neighboring Bedford and Campbell counties work there, and Buchanan said he's afraid of losing their high-paying industrial jobs to foreign nations with "slave labor."
Buchanan owns a chain of five dry-cleaning stores, calls himself a born-again Christian, and ran two unsuccessful bids for the Campbell County Board of Supervisors. Every Wednesday night, he plays host to a local radio talk show about religion and politics.
In his free-wheeling announcement speech, Buchanan warned about the need for military vigilance in the presence of "Red China," and discussed concerns about drug dealers. He said he's pro-gun and owns several guns, but doesn't belong to a militia and isn't a racist.
"I am not a white supremacist," Buchanan said. "I have two grandchildren. Their father was African American." His son-in-law, a Gulf War veteran, was killed in an automobile accident, he said.
Buchanan said he's supporting commentator Pat Buchanan for the Republican presidential nomination. The 5th District hopeful also spoke out against abortion except in the case of rape and incest and compared the federal welfare system to slavery.
The lively congressional race was kicked off last month when Rep. L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County, announced his retirement from the 5th District, which includes Bedford, Bedford County, Franklin County, Henry County, Martinsville and Patrick County.
Republican leaders say the front-runner for their nomination is Albemarle County lawyer George Landrith, who came close to defeating Payne in 1994. Landrith's only serious opposition, they say, is expected to come from Del. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, even though Buchanan and a United Parcel Service worker, Eric Thompson of Bedford County, are also seeking the nomination. It will be decided at a May 18 convention.
It looks as if state Sen. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount will be unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Buchanan said he wants to get his message out, but he's not optimistic about his chances at getting the nomination. "What are my chances this time?" he asked. "Not good. I don't have money. The problem with the political system in this country is that unless you've got money, you don't have much of a chance."
Elitism in government and within the two major parties is preventing regular people from running for office, Buchanan said. As proof, he offers the $2,000 filing fee for candidates seeking this nomination.
"The reason for the fee is because they have their hand-picked candidates, and they don't want an outsider like me or the UPS driver [Thompson] running. But when the common man is not allowed to run for office, that's wrong," Buchanan said.
He's paid the fee, as have Landrith and Ruff, said 5th District Republican Party Chairman Donivan Edwards.
Thompson hasn't paid it yet but said he's hoping to raise it by the deadline at week's end. If he can't raise it, he's not sure what he'll do. He wouldn't be eligible for the nomination under party rules.
"Personally, I think it's an attempt to limit the amount of candidates that are in the running for the nomination," Thompson said of the fee, which he calls steep. "I think it's very unfair to the people in general. If they charge a fee to go to the nominating convention, like they have in the past, that means fewer people can get involved.
"I'm not a real fan of these fees."
Buchanan said he'll stay hopeful, knowing that if he doesn't get the nomination he'll at least get equal time with Landrith and Ruff at the convention.
"I'm a dreamer, but I'm also a realist," Buchanan said. "Unless I can convince a majority of voters that I'm the right man, I'm not going to win the nomination.
"But I've offered myself to my country. I feel this is something I have to do.
"If they want me, fine, and if they don't want me, that sits well with my soul, too, because I'll know I've done everything I can do."
RON BUCHANAN
Seeking Republican nomination for Congress in the 5th District
Age: 50
Residence: Campbell County
Occupation: Owns a chain of five dry-cleaning stores in Campbell County and Lynchburg.
Family: Married with four children and two grandchildren.
Education: High school equivalency degree.
Political experience: Ran twice unsuccessfully for the Campbell County Board of Supervisors.
Buchanan on the Issues:
On abortion: "We as a nation must help the family. All over America today, precious little heads are being crushed and bodies torn apart by abortionist hands."
On trade and economics: "We have to have free trade, but if you burden American factories with all these federal regulations, and you want them to compete with somebody in Red China who has slave labor, they just can't compete. There is not a level playing field."
On welfare reform: "I believe in workfare. I don't believe in welfare. I don't believe you find any pride or self-esteem in a handout."
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Ron Buchanan stands in front of the Lynchburgby CNBFoundry, which is being demolished, to announce his bid for the 5th
District seat. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESS