THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 16, 1994 TAG: 9411160414
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARGARET EDDS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Oliver L. North may have raised more money, almost $20 million, than any candidate in U.S. Senate history.
But he needs a little bit more, thank you.
In a fund-raising letter dated Election Day, the GOP hopeful said he was a few hours away from knowing whether he'd won or lost.
But ``win or lose, my campaign will face major debts when I wake tomorrow morning,'' the letter said. ``Win or lose tonight - I am still in need of your support and hope you will honor me once more with a gift of $15, $20, $25, $50, $100 . . .''
The letter, obtained from a recipient a week after North's defeat, is the latest installment in a barrage of direct-mail missives sent almost weekly during the campaign to North's nationwide list of supporters. The result was an unparalleled outpouring of checks from more than 200,000 North contributors.
``Darkness has just taken hold of the Virginia countryside as I await the results of today's election in my hotel room,'' begins North's four-page, single-spaced appeal. ``And in the few quiet moments I have before going down to what I believe in my heart will be a victory celebration with supporters, I want to take time to write to you.''
Asked Tuesday whether North had actually written the letter while sitting in his election-night hotel room, spokesman Mark Merritt replied: ``I guess .
The letter states: ``Thanks to you we came further than any of our liberal enemies in Washington, Hollywood or in the network studios in New York ever thought we could. And speaking frankly, you and I scared them to death.''
His campaign faced unprecedented challenges, he said. ``Normally, you only have to worry about political opponents in your state. But not this year. A horde of liberal locusts descended upon the historic old state of Virginia to make a mockery of the election process.''
North said he was forced by ``vicious lies about my record'' to keep spending right up until the polls closed.
``I could not face you without knowing in my heart that we had done all we could to achieve victory. I knew it would leave my campaign with a debt - but I was certain you - of all people - would fully understand that we did what we had to do. . .
``Whether I wake tomorrow morning to find left-wing radicals gloating over my defeat or whether I begin planning to fight Bill Clinton and his liberal friends from the floor of the United States Senate, I want to know you are still with me,'' the letter said.
Merritt said that the amount of the debt is still being calculated. He estimated that it will be ``a couple hundred thousand (dollars), maybe more.''
North poured about 50 cents of every dollar collected back into fund raising. He paid the firm of direct-mail wizard Richard Viguerie hundreds of thousands of dollars to direct the mail operation.
Susan Platt, campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb, said her candidate - who spent about $5 million in defeating North - will probably owe about $100,000 when all the bills are in.
Platt said it's ``ludicrous'' that North would be asking for more money. ``You would have thought a spending advantage of 4-to-1 would have been sufficient,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Oliver North raised almost $20 million, but he said ``vicious lies''
forced him to keep spending until the polls closed.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE VIRGINIA CANDIDATES RESULTS
CAMPAIGN FINANCING by CNB