ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 4, 1996 TAG: 9609040033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA
For the first time in Virginia, Democrats and Republicans are contesting a statewide race in cyberspace.
Both Mark Warner, the Democrat, and John Warner, the Republican, launched their home pages on the World Wide Web in May, even before they had won their parties' nominations.
``I think if you don't have one now, you're behind the times,'' said Eric Hoffman, Mark Warner's spokesman.
Mark Warner, 41, who became a multimillionaire in the cellular telephone industry, is personally more comfortable with the relatively new Internet technology. John Warner, 69, has become a convert.
``This is a new thing for him, and for politics in Virginia. The senator didn't have this available before. He is very excited about it,'' said Eric Peterson, a spokesman for the three-term senator.
The World Wide Web is the graphical portion of the Internet that offers access to text, photos, databases and sound.
Presidential candidates have their own Web sites, as do all manner of businesses, local governments and individuals. John Warner's GOP primary opponent, Jim Miller, had one.
No one knows how many potential voters have access to the Warners via the Web, but both campaigns believe the sites are drumming up support and drawing volunteers.
``It's reaching a select audience, but it's an audience that's tuned in, and it's an audience that probably is voting,'' Hoffman said.
The sites reflect the differences in age, background and temperament of the two Warners, who are not related.
``One of the major differences between John Warner and me is who best understands the changing nature of the economy,'' said Mark Warner, who made a $100 million fortune in telecommunications.
``That's been my business; that's my expertise,'' Warner said.
Mark Warner's site is crammed full of whiz-bang technology, including state-of-the-art computer graphics, television images and a soundtrack. Some of the features are too advanced for the ordinary home computer, and require special software.
The Democrat's site is updated daily, and he employs a full-time technology director to tinker with the home page. ``Mark's Site of the Day'' is a computer link to another Web page chosen by Warner or his staff. Past choices include a site sponsored by the NBA, because Warner is a big basketball fan.
The Virginia Republican Party and the John Warner campaign criticized Mark Warner for highlighting the MTV Web site one day earlier this summer.
On the day Mark Warner chose it, the music video cable television channel's Web page featured an unwholesome message about defying authority figures, Peterson said.
``Lighten up,'' the Mark Warner camp responded at the time.
John Warner's site is comparatively staid. It is mostly a computerized version of Warner's printed campaign materials, including position papers and a discussion of his Senate voting record.
``We don't have all the bells and whistles that Mark Warner has on his, but we do have more content,'' Peterson said.
Mark Warner's Web page includes a bar resembling Warner's ``MARKNOTJOHN'' bumper sticker, which plays on the candidates' similar names. Click on that bar, and a menu appears with choices such as a biography and a photo album of family shots.
As with the John Warner site, there are copies of press releases and excerpts of speeches.
Both candidates include signup sheets for campaign volunteers. Of course, both also tell Web surfers how they can donate money to the campaigns.
Candidates' World Wide Web pages
Here are the World Wide Web addresses for Virginia's candidates for the U.S. Senate:
* John Warner:
www.warner96.com
*Mark Warner:
www.markwarner96.org
For links to candidates in other races, or election information in general, check out our on-line Voters Guide at:
www.roanoke.com
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESSby CNB