THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 1996 TAG: 9610160453
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA LENGTH: 72 lines
U.S. Sen. John Warner's campaign sharpened its rhetoric Tuesday against Democrat Mark Warner's self-financed campaign, likening the cellular telephone mogul to the influence-peddling ``robber barons'' of the 19th century.
The charge came hours after the latest campaign finance reports confirmed that Mark Warner - thanks to his $100 million fortune - is outspending Republican John Warner, an 18-year incumbent.
``Mark Warner wants everyone to believe he is free and clear from special interests, when in fact he is the special interest,'' said Eric Peterson, spokesman for John Warner.
``Everything about his campaign and his statements has the air of the robber barons of the late 1800s, who bought and traded influence to promote (their) interests.''
The Mark Warner campaign called the attack a transparent bid to divert attention from the fact that John Warner has taken more money from political action committees than nearly any other senator.
``This from the third-ranking `PAC-man' of the Senate?'' asked Eric Hoffman, spokesman for the Mark Warner campaign. ``John Warner has been in Congress so long he probably remembers when the robber barons came into his office.''
The ``robber baron'' imagery is the latest - and least subtle - effort by John Warner to suggest there is a dark side to Mark Warner's rags-to-riches story.
For months, the senator has urged reporters to dig into how Mark Warner became so rich so quickly in the 1980s, during the fledgling days of cellular telephones.
Last week, John Warner aired a TV commercial claiming Mark Warner made millions by trading on ``political connections'' and ``big government loopholes.''
Mark Warner denied the charges, and his campaign released a statement suggesting that making money with a successful business compares favorably with how John Warner became a millionaire - by marrying into the Mellon banking family.
John Warner pulled a TV spot after he learned that it contained a doctored photograph.
In this latest salvo, the John Warner campaign suggests that Mark Warner wants to serve in the Senate in order to promote interests dear to him and friends in the telecommunications industry.
``Indeed, there is a special interest, and it's Mark Warner's commercial interests,'' Peterson said.
Mark Warner called the charge ``absurd.''
Finance reports released Tuesday underscored the extent to which Mark Warner is self-financing his record-shattering TV campaign.
Mark Warner has penned checks totaling nearly $5.1 million of the $5.8 million his campaign raised through September.
``I have not had a single voter say to me, `Mark, I wish you weren't spending so much of your own money' or say, `I wish you would take more special interest money,' '' Mark Warner said Tuesday.
Last week, John Warner said of self-funded campaigns: ``It's not the Virginia way.''
John Warner said his campaign finance reports show a greater cross-section of Virginians support his independent-minded Republican record.
Through September, John Warner reported contributions of nearly $2.5 million - 25 percent from PACs, 64 percent from individual contributors. Transfers from other GOP candidates and a $200,000 personal loan accounted for the balance of his funds.
In a three-month period through September, John Warner demonstrated much deeper fund-raising roots in Virginia than did Mark Warner.
John Warner raised $62,545 in South Hampton Roads during that period, compared with $3,400 for Mark Warner, an analysis of the reports shows.
KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN FINANCING U.S. SENATE RACE ELECTION
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