ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, May 7, 1996                   TAG: 9605070101
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER 

GOODLATTE SEEKS 3RD TERM AS 6TH DISTRICT LAWMAKER

REP. BOB GOODLATTE said he would seek to cut the federal gas tax and push for tax cuts for people who have stock income and other capital gains.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte kicked off his campaign for re-election to Congress by predicting that Democrats will "rely on fear, division, distortion and cynical politics of resentment" in the November elections.

At a speech in Roanoke on Monday kicking off a six-stop tour, the Roanoke Republican accused the Democrats of using scare tactics on Social Security and Medicare and said they "have no forward-thinking, positive vision for our nation's future."

He said he would run on his "proven accomplishments, solid conservative record and positive vision for the future."

Goodlatte said Republicans have the stuff to lead the country in the right direction: "Leadership is about vision. And what is our vision? Ours is a vision that says individual American families, not government, know what is best for themselves. That limited and decentralized government is better than a huge bureaucracy in Washington, D.C."

Goodlatte, a Roanoke lawyer, was first elected in 1992 to the 6th District seat in the House of Representatives, which runs from Roanoke to Harrisonburg and also includes Lynchburg. He ran unopposed during the GOP's epoch-shattering takeover of Congress in 1994.

Soon after, he became known as a key lieutenant to new House Speaker Newt Gingrich, taking a high-profile stance in pushing such measures as a bill aimed at limiting lawsuits filed against businesses by consumers.

Polls show Gingrich's popularity among voters has dropped as critics have painted him and other GOP leaders as favoring the rich over average citizens. Democrats say they want to turn congressional races around the country into referendums on Gingrich.

Goodlatte did not mention Gingrich during his Roanoke speech. But afterward he said he didn't think Gingrich's poll ratings would drag him down.

He said most voters agree with the conservative ideas that he, Gingrich and other GOP legislators espouse. "I think their feelings about Newt Gingrich are very much related to the snippets - the one-liners they see on television" rather than the real issues. He said Gingrich probably wouldn't come to the district to campaign for him because Gingrich already had come in earlier this year for a $50-a-plate fund-raiser at the Hotel Roanoke.

Unlike 1994, Goodlatte will have opposition. Jeffrey Grey, a union leader from Rockbridge County, appears poised to take the Democratic nomination Saturday. Another potential Democratic nominee, Harrisonburg attorney William Helsley, said Monday that he had decided not to run because of personal reasons.

In his speech before about 90 people, Goodlatte said he would seek to cut the federal gas tax and push for tax cuts for people who have stock income and other capital gains.

He said his record in his two terms in Congress includes:

Votes for "welfare reform" to break the government bureaucracy "that penalizes work and marriage."

Work for passage of a presidential line-item veto.

Support for limiting appeals by death-row inmates and making it "tougher for criminal thugs to use technical loopholes to get away with their crimes."

"A clear and consistent commitment to balancing the budget."

"We hear politicians pay lip service to balancing the budget," he said. "But when it comes time to actually make tough decisions to rein in federal spending, they head for the tall grass. Yes, we must protect key priorities like the environment, education and national defense. But it will be all for naught if we do not end the massive, decades-long spend-a-thon in Washington."

Bob Goodlatte

Republican seeking re-election to the 6th District seat in Congress.

Age: 43

Residence: Roanoke

Birthplace: Massachusetts

Occupation: Attorney

Family: Married, two children

Political background: Defeated Democrat Steve Musselwhite in 1992 to take the House of Representatives seat held by retiring Democrat Jim Olin; Re-elected without opposition in 1994.

LENGTH: Medium:   95 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  WAYNE DEEL/Staff. In announcing plans to seek 
          re-election to Congress, Rep. Bob Goodlatte said Democrats `have no 
          forward-thinking, positive vision for our nation's future.' color.
KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESS