THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512170070
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Virginia Democrats decided Saturday to select their 1996 U.S. Senate nominee at a party convention, declining to engage in dueling statewide primaries with Republicans next June.
Democratic delegates will select former Democratic chairman Mark Warner, former U.S. Rep. Leslie Byrne, or Lyndon LaRouche-follower Nancy Spannaus at a convention June 7-8 in Hampton.
The Democratic nominee will face either Republican Sen. John Warner, who is seeking a fourth term, or former Reagan budget director James C. Miller III.
Republicans last week ceded to John Warner's insistence on a June 11 primary that will be open to all registered voters.
The Democrats' vote for a nominating convention passed easily at Saturday's Democratic Central Committee meeting, although a few of the 133 participants said a primary would be more democratic and would produce a stronger candidate.
They said voters will be bombarded with information about Republicans, so Democrats should give Virginians the same opportunity to learn about their candidates.
``From January to June, there will be a lot of publicity on their race,'' Frank Leone of Arlington said of the GOP contest. ``Let's go head to head with the Republicans.''
In the past week, some Democrats have theorized that a Democratic primary could boost their chances of winning the general election.
Democratic leaders believe Miller would be easier to beat in November than Warner and have suggested that concurrent primaries would help Miller's odds of winning the primary.
That's because many Democrats are expected to turn out to vote in the primary for the more moderate Warner, who won the respect of many Democrats last year when he refused to endorse Iran-Contra figure Oliver North's GOP Senate bid.
Supporters of the convention, however, said there was no ground swell of support for a primary and a convention would be more cost efficient.
The party would be holding a convention anyway to elect delegates to the 1996 national convention.
None of the three Democratic candidates expressed a preference Saturday for a primary or convention.
The Democratic front-runner is Mark Warner, an Alexandria millionaire who made his fortune in the cellular telephone business.
A few days ago, he released a list of 2,917 people who he said would back him. Many Democrats at the meeting wore Mark Warner stickers and the parking lot at the Richmond hotel where the meeting was held was full of cars with Mark Warner bumper stickers.
Mark Warner, 41, never mentioned John Warner by name in his brief address, instead attacking House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Warner said that he feared that the public education and student loans he once received might be jeopardized for students by cuts proposed by Gingrich and congressional Republicans.
``I can't stand by and let Newt Gingrich shut the doors of that opportunity,'' he said.
Byrne, a one-term congresswoman from Falls Church, ousted last year by Rep. Thomas Davis, R-11th, also took issue with congressional Republicans who want to cut funding for social programs. She went on to attack John Warner's record on environmental protection and said she supports an increased minimum wage, saying the country's prosperity has not trickled down.
``Wall Street's happy. Productivity's up. But the average person from Virginia is not feeling it,'' said Byrne, 49.
Spannaus, 52, also focused her attacks on Gingrich. She said her campaign theme is ``Give Newt the Boot.''
Spannaus, of Lovettsville, has little support within the Democratic party. Other LaRouche supporters have mounted unsuccessful bids for legislative seats. Spannaus ran as an independent against Warner in 1988, when he was unopposed by Democrats.
Democrats will hold statewide caucuses April 13 and 15 to select the 3,500 delegates who will attend the June convention.
KEYWORDS: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION VIRGINIA by CNB