THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 4, 1994 TAG: 9410040443
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE AND WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: MCLEAN LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Amid bumper stickers proclaiming ``South'' and ``Don't let the North take Virginia again,'' Democratic faithful gave President Clinton and U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb a warmer reception Monday than the latest polls would have suggested was possible.
The only detractors were about 20 Rush Limbaugh and Oliver L. North fans who teamed up outside the McLean Hilton Hotel to chant: ``Clinton and Robb have to go!''
But across the driveway, two dozen Robb supporters gave as good as they got, yelling: ``Defeat the felon!'' and ``No parole for Ollie North!''
Several attending the first of the evening's two fund-raisers - this one for a mere $35 per person - seemed truly perplexed by recent reports that only 36 percent of Virginians approve of Clinton and few more like Robb.
``I don't understand the vehemence in the opposition some people have to Clinton,'' said Ed Herlihy, an engineer from Reston. The fact that Robb votes with Clinton 94 percent of the time may sound bad to some, ``but I think most people from Northern Virginia admire Robb for that,'' he said.
Two miles away at the evening's second event, men dressed in gray suits and women adorned in cocktail dresses waited drinks-in-hand to pass through metal detectors the Secret Service set up outside the Sheraton Premiere ballroom. The $1,000-a-plate dinner brought together Robb supporters, lobbyists and Democratic faithful.
``I didn't know Clinton was unpopular; he's very popular in Northern Virginia,'' said one guest.
The general consensus was that North had made the race closer than expected, but there was a Northern-Virginia-centric faith that North has little hope of expanding beyond his base of downstate gun lovers and evangelical Christians.
``I just don't see the votes being down there,'' said Jack Sawicki, an engineer who considers himself a ``political centrist.''
Sawicki said the tandem of Robb and Republican Sen. John W. Warner serve Virginia well. ``Warner is kind of on the left side of the Republican Party and Robb is on kind of the conservative side of the Democratic Party. Between the two of them, they bring a pretty good balance.''
Several Robb supporters said they hope the junior senator will go on the offensive against North.
``I think he's going to have to be very aggressive toward Ollie,'' said Randall Kell, a real estate executive from Alexandria who attended law school with Robb. ``I think he needs to compare all the liberal Democratic positions with the radical conservative Republican kind of positions.''
Some of those in attendance were businessmen seeking to repay Robb for his support on Capitol Hill for their pet projects.
John Castellani, vice president for government relations for Tenneco Inc., the parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding, praised Robb for helping secure $4.5 billion for a new aircraft carrier in the defense budget.
``I don't think there's anyone who could have done more on behalf of Newport News Shipbuilding or defense in general,'' Castellani said.
KEYWORDS: SENATE RACE CANDIDATE CAMPAIGN by CNB