THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604060017
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: MARGARET EDDS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
When Kay Coles James took the microphone at a political gala here Tuesday night, tea-leaf readers took note of more than her emerald-green dress.
The willingness of the newly installed dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University to be master of ceremonies at the fund-raising dinner for Attorney General Jim Gilmore sent multiple messages.
First, all is well between Gilmore and the Christian right, a critical test on the tightrope to the GOP's gubernatorial nomination next year. Added evidence: James' new boss, Pat Robertson, was seated in the audience of 1,000 or so along with sidekick Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition.
Second, fleeting thoughts that James might challenge Gilmore for the top spot on the GOP ticket next year have evaporated. Worries in the Gilmore camp were put to rest when the two met recently and James agreed to help host last week's fund-raiser.
And third, for all the snippets of intrigue that let names such as James' or House Majority Leader Dick Cranwell's pop up as possible challengers, the 1997 gubernatorial lineup of Gilmore and Democratic Lt. Gov. Don Beyer is as set as it can be 18 months out.
Some astute Democrats fret that Beyer isn't bold enough on issues and isn't clearly defined after seven years in office. Some prominent Republicans worry that Gilmore is weak in Northern Virginia and too much of an automaton on the stump. But both men are building the organizations and cementing the financial support that make the nominations theirs for the taking.
Farther down the tickets, it's the antsy season.
Businessmen Coleman Andrews of Northern Virginia and John Hager of Richmond are top contenders for the GOP's No. 2 spot. But home-schooling activist Mike Farris, who has a passionate following of social conservatives left from his 1993 bid, is unwilling to bow out.
``That's the $64 million question. The answer is I don't know,'' said Farris when asked last week if he might run.
With his first action-thriller novel due to be released in October by a Christian publishing company and four more books in the works, Farris said his mind is elsewhere. But he added: ``These guys can scurry around and pick off a couple hundred leaders, but if I decide to get in this race, I'll bring 5,000 people to the convention and win.''
That dynamic could prove an explosive one in the attorney general's race where neither of the top candidates - former U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen or Virginia Beach state Sen. Ken Stolle - has deep links to the Christian right.
Stolle committed what may be the unforgivable sin of making a nominating speech for Farris' opponent four years ago, and Cullen bears the cross of being a chief architect of Virginia's one-gun-a-month-purchase law. Such moderation likely would help in a general election, but the nomination comes first.
Democrats, who keep holding Republican tides at bay, were gleeful when 5th District Rep. L. F. Payne announced recently that he's stepping down from Congress amid speculation that he'll run for lieutenant governor.
As a pro-gun, pro-tobacco congressman, Payne could move the Democratic ticket to the right. But that's precisely why he may have to earn his way against a more-liberal contender.
Jockeying is still incomplete in the lineup for attorney general as well. Northern Virginia attorney Bill Dolan has a loyal following, despite his 1993 loss. Norfolk Del. Jerrauld Jones would bring youth and vitality - but the drawback of riverboat gambling - to a race. Hillsville Del. Tom Jackson is well-liked.
Fortunately, those few uncertainties remain. Otherwise in Virginia's perpetual election cycle, it would be on to the tilt of the legislature in 1999, or the possible turn-of-the-century matchup for the U.S. Senate between George Allen and Chuck Robb. MEMO: Ms. Edds is an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot. by CNB