ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, June 10, 1996 TAG: 9606100031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HAMPTON
TYPE: ELECTION '96
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Lede
Cellular telephone magnate Mark Warner portrayed himself Saturday as the only U.S. Senate candidate with the vision to lead Virginia into the 21st century.
In a speech accepting the Democratic nomination, Warner said too many politicians are gazing back ``at the beautiful sun setting on this American century, while the rest of us are already turning in a new direction as the sun rises on the next.''
Warner, 41, sketched a generational divide between himself and the two candidates vying for the Republican nomination, incumbent Sen. John Warner and economist Jim Miller.
But his main target appeared to be Warner, a 69-year-old patriarch who has served in the Senate for 18 years. The two Warners are not related.
``Mark Warner is the right Warner for Virginia's future,'' he declared, delighting some 3,200 Democratic supporters gathered at the Hampton Coliseum.
The two-day Democratic confab was a study in party unity, compared with the Republican convention last weekend. The Republican nominee will be decided Tuesday in a primary election.
Still, some party activists expressed concern that Mark Warner sounds too moderate - he has sung some praises for Republican Gov. George Allen - to energize core Democratic groups such as labor, teachers and blacks.
``We have to remember who brung us to the dance,'' former Gov. Doug Wilder told reporters.
In his acceptance speech, Warner devoted an entire page to drawing distinctions with Republicans. But several points were worn platitudes: good schools, strong military, solvent Social Security.
He struck a more responsive chord with the Democratic faithful when he mentioned the environment and the need to preserve a woman's right to choose abortion when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
The thrust of his message, however, was a generational appeal that emphasizes his success in a high-tech industry, and his vision for technological changes that are transforming society.
``Mark Warner represents the future,'' Lt. Gov. Don Beyer said. ``I think there are many people in this room who respect what John Warner has done in the last 18 years. But Mark Warner is a visionary. This really is the time for the torch to pass to a new generation.''
Mark Warner will hone his message on a statewide tour that begins Monday in Alexandria, and will include visits to every city and county before Labor Day.
Later, he could not say if he planned to park his Cadillac sedan at his Alexandria home during the tour, borrowing a more modest vehicle that might blur the gap between the lot of most working folk and his personal worth - an estimated $100 million.
His fortune, amassed during the dizzying days of cellular telephone deregulation of the 1980s, is a delicate subject for Democrats.
In an effort to address possible populist resentment, Warner stressed that he was raised in a middle-class home, paid for his education with part-time jobs and loans, and was the first member of his family to graduate from college.
``Fourteen years ago,'' he said, ``everything I owned fit in the back seat of my 1965 Buick, but I was given every opportunity to succeed. I know what hard work and a dream can do.
``I have been able to live the American Dream. And I want to make the American Dream real and possible for every Virginian.''
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. U.S. Senate nominee Mark Warner reacts to the cheersby CNBof the crowd after accepting the nomination Saturday at the
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