THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996 TAG: 9610080341
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: 50 lines
Democratic Senate challenger Mark Warner has spent $5.2 million on campaign advertising - a record in Virginia and most of it from his own pocket, his spokesman said.
Warner, a telecommunications tycoon, surpassed the advertising record of nearly $4 million Republican Oliver North spent in 1994 in his unsuccessful campaign against Democratic Sen. Charles S. Robb.
Mark Warner said Monday he has not approached North's overall campaign spending record of about $20 million. ``And I won't get there,'' Mark Warner said.
Sen. John Warner, who underwrote his own first campaign 18 years ago, denounced his multimillionaire opponent Monday for digging so deeply in his own pockets. John Warner is also a millionaire.
``I could spend my money but as a matter of principle I think that's wrong,'' John Warner said during a forum at George Mason University. ``I restrict my spending to what Virginians and the public contribute to my campaign.''
In 1978, when John Warner narrowly defeated Democrat Andrew Miller, he loaned about $1 million to his own campaign, according to an analysis by University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato.
The money was eventually repaid, said Eric Peterson, campaign spokesman for John Warner.
John Warner has never made direct contributions to his own campaign, Peterson said. He has loaned himself money since 1978, including $200,000 loaned or guaranteed by Warner during his contentious primary this year, filings with the Federal Election Commission show.
That money has also been repaid, Peterson said.
Mark Warner, who is unrelated to the senator, is unapologetic about bankrolling his Senate bid privately.
``I have been very fortunate. I have the resources to do this, and I'm doing it because I care about the future of all Virginians,'' Mark Warner said in a recent interview.
Mark Warner, 41, made a personal fortune of about $100 million in telecommunications businesses. He has called political action committees corrupting influences and pledged not to accept money from them, but has accepted small sums from individual contributors.
Campaign finance reports that will detail both candidates' spending since June are due next week.
John Warner accepted about $357,000 from PACs in the first six months of this year. He raised about $1.1 million from individual contributors in the same period, his FEC filing shows. by CNB