Breezing past decades of political tradition as he steerstoward a landslide, President Clinton yesterday sailed into Virginia-- a state where most years a Democratic nominee would not venturein late October and would hardly be welcome if he did.
But yesterday, a roar went up from thousands of NorthernVirginians at Lee High School in Springfield as the president'shelicopter landed amid a flurry of autumn leaves and to the boomingbeat of rock music. The crowd was eager to see the man who's tryingto become the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry thestate since 1964.
The rally, in which Clinton made appeals for U.S. Senatecandidate Mark R. Warner and Democratic hopefuls for the U.S. House,was an occasion that made stunningly clear that the ancient rules ofVirginia politics are off for the season -- and may be gone forgood. Supporters yesterday were hopeful that the 32-year dry spellfor Democratic presidential candidates in Virginia was about to end."I know how hard it is to break a habit," Clinton said tocheers and applause. "But one of the things we all teach our kids issome habits have to be broken."The turnout of 5,000 to 10,000 people for the Fall FamilyFestival rally was modest compared with other Clinton crowds, but itwas a shot in the arm for Virginia Democrats, who are used to seeingtheir state written off in a presidential election as a Republicanwin. "I was just so happy," said Dotti McLean, 48, of Springfield."Someone finally came to Virginia. We've lived here for 16 years,and no one's ever come here before."Clinton's strategy increasingly is geared not merely towardvictory but toward winning an electoral college rout by challengingRepublican Robert J. Dole in GOP strongholds. The confidenceDemocrats are feeling was palpable. Ellen Malcolm, president of thewomen's political action committee Emily's List, opened with a jabat Dole."I hope you brought the butter," Malcolm said. "I hope youbrought the jam. Because Bob Dole is toast!"Virginia, which has landed in the Democratic column forpresident only once since 1948, certainly qualifies as a GOPredoubt. But numerous polls have Clinton ahead by several percentagepoints, a trend that may help tilt some congressional races if itholds. Already, the trend has revealed some fundamental shifts inthe state's political culture and prompted some astonishing rolereversals.For decades, the law of Old Dominion politics was that localDemocrats tried to keep their national ticket out of sight and outof state. Just three years ago, Clinton was so unpopular that theDemocratic candidate for governor, Mary Sue Terry, prominentlyrepudiated his policies and labored to ensure that he and first ladyHillary Rodham Clinton both stayed north of the Potomac. She lostanyway.This year, Mark Warner, a 41-year-old former state DemocraticParty chairman, is not repudiating Clinton but embracing him. Hesat, smiling broadly, on the dais between Clinton and Sen. CharlesS. Robb (D). He even opened with a joke that highlighted his supportfor Clinton and a gaffe made by his opponent, Republican Sen. JohnW. Warner, who aired a television ad recently with a doctored imagein which Mark Warner's head has been digitally spliced onto Robb'sbody, as Clinton looks on smiling."My opponent has been taking some creative methods to get youand me in a photo together," he said, turning to Clinton. "Perhapstoday we can accommodate him."Mark Warner, who said his campaign polls show that the Senaterace has narrowed to 8 percentage points, made an effort to castJohn Warner as more conservative than he appears. He noted that the69-year-old senator has voted more often with the "Dole-Gingrichagenda" than Sen. Jesse Helms, the arch-conservative Republican fromNorth Carolina.He repeated his attempt to diminish the Oliver L. Norththank-you vote -- the tendency, confirmed by polls, that many votersfavor John Warner largely because of his opposition to the 1994Senate bid of Iran-contra figure North. Northern Virginians, inparticular, viewed that stance as courageous, a sign that JohnWarner was willing to buck his party's right wing on principle.People are wondering whether they should vote for theincumbent to thank him for opposing North, the Democratic challengersaid to the crowd. Should they? "No!" roared the crowd. To thosevoters, Mark Warner said, "Tell 'em to send him a thank-you note."McLean, who teaches math at Langley High School, said thatmessage rang true with her. A Clinton voter, she said that she was"complacent" about the Senate race but that now she "definitely" isvoting for Mark Warner.For Mark Warner, yesterday's rally and festival, whichfeatured children's games, vendors and hot dog and cotton candystands, may have been a last chance. Despite spending more than $6million of his own money on television ads, he is fighting adouble-digit lead held by John Warner, according to the most recentpolls, and aides who once hoped that Clinton wouldn't be too much ofa drag are now counting on him for a boost, particularly in NorthernVirginia.Mark Warner charged that his rival has consistently votedagainst Clinton administration initiatives, from the Family andMedical Leave Act, which guarantees workers unpaid time off to takecare of relatives, to Internet discounts for libraries and schoolsto putting more police officers on the streets.Not so long ago, Virginia Democrats would have steered clearof linking themselves with the national party, which they saw as tooliberal for a largely moderate to conservative state. Yesterday, sixHouse candidates shared the dais with Clinton: incumbent Reps. JamesP. Moran Jr. (8th District) and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (3rdDistrict), and challengers Tom Horton (11th District), Jeff Gray(6th District), Roderick Slayton (7th District) and Robert L.Weinberg (10th District)."It's not about party," Clinton said. "It's about vision."Earlier in the day, Clinton announced three new initiatives tofight breast cancer and address the needs of cancer survivors: a $30million increase in research funding for breast cancer, the openingof a breast cancer Web page site and the opening of a new Office ofCancer Survivorship in the National Cancer Institute.For Virginia, the rally was a vivid sign of the times -- onemore piece of evidence of how a state that used to revel in defyingnational trends is not so different anymore.For Clinton, the rally was more of a lark. With large leads insuch states as California, New York, Illinois and Ohio, he and hisaides consider competing for Virginia a luxury in which they canafford to indulge.Decades ago, the old Democratic Byrd organization, whicheffectively controlled the state, decided that elections forgovernor and the state legislature would be held in odd-numberedyears precisely so that local Democrats wouldn't be sullied by theliberal image of national Democrats. Even in the 1980s, VirginiaDemocrats such as Robb and former governor L. Douglas Wildersucceeded by distinguishing themselves from national Democrats suchas Walter F. Mondale and Michael S. Dukakis.This year, however, Clinton's success in Virginia apparentlyis being fueled by the same trends that drove his political revivalnationally, according to various polls and political analysts.Suburban voters, in particular, responded to his embrace of morecentrist positions on a balanced budget and welfare reform, hisfrequent speeches on family values and his denunciation of theRepublican Congress as extreme.Virginia voters, like the national electorate, are alsoproving themselves to be a volatile lot. Three years ago, they gavea huge landslide to Gov. George Allen (R), who campaigned against"meddling bureaucrats" and "nannies" in Washington. This year, whilepolls show Allen's approval rating continues to be high, voters alsoare responding to Clinton's message of government as a friendlypartner that "can give people the tools they need to succeed at workand at home."In 1992, George Bush won 45 percent of the vote in Virginia,compared with 41 percent for Clinton and 14 percent for Ross Perot.Allen, an outspoken Dole supporter who predicts a comeback forthe Republican, said he and Clinton may both be benefiting by thefact that the economy is doing well. And he said the state'spolitics are becoming less tradition-bound as the state grows."Virginians are seeing themselves in a new light," he said inan interview Saturday. Although still appreciative of heritage andtradition, he said, voters are less apt to be "always lookingbackward. . . . People are seeing an excitement for the future."Tom Morris, the president of Emory & Henry College and a longtimeanalyst of Virginia politics, said Clinton's strength this year isthe culmination of "three decades of demographic change" in whichthe state's politics have become more driven by independent-mindedsuburban voters.He noted that the campaign being run by Clinton is similar tothe one that supporters of Robb thought he would wage in apresidential bid someday, before he got tripped up in a scandal overa supporter's illegal taping of a Wilder phone call."Bill Clinton is simply less threatening to Virginia votersthan Democratic presidential nominees of the recent past," Morrissaid. "What Clinton has done is nationalized the Virginia Democraticmodel, emphasizing fiscal responsibility and moderation on socialissues."
Roar of Approval Greets Clinton in Va.; President Invades Traditional GOP Stronghold to Boost Democratic CandidatesBreezing past decades of political tradition as he steerstoward a landslide, President Clinton yesterday sailed into Virginia-- a state where most years a Democratic nominee would not venturein late October and would hardly be welcome if he did.
But yesterday, a roar went up from thousands of NorthernVirginians at Lee High School in Springfield as the president'shelicopter landed amid a flurry of autumn leaves and to the boomingbeat of rock music. The crowd was eager to see the man who's tryingto become the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry thestate since 1964.
The rally, in which Clinton made appeals for U.S. Senatecandidate Mark R. Warner and Democratic hopefuls for the U.S. House,was an occasion that made stunningly clear that the ancient rules ofVirginia politics are off for the season -- and may be gone forgood. Supporters yesterday were hopeful that the 32-year dry spellfor Democratic presidential candidates in Virginia was about to end."I know how hard it is to break a habit," Clinton said tocheers and applause. "But one of the things we all teach our kids issome habits have to be broken."The turnout of 5,000 to 10,000 people for the Fall FamilyFestival rally was modest compared with other Clinton crowds, but itwas a shot in the arm for Virginia Democrats, who are used to seeingtheir state written off in a presidential election as a Republicanwin. "I was just so happy," said Dotti McLean, 48, of Springfield."Someone finally came to Virginia. We've lived here for 16 years,and no one's ever come here before."Clinton's strategy increasingly is geared not merely towardvictory but toward winning an electoral college rout by challengingRepublican Robert J. Dole in GOP strongholds. The confidenceDemocrats are feeling was palpable. Ellen Malcolm, president of thewomen's political action committee Emily's List, opened with a jabat Dole."I hope you brought the butter," Malcolm said. "I hope youbrought the jam. Because Bob Dole is toast!"Virginia, which has landed in the Democratic column forpresident only once since 1948, certainly qualifies as a GOPredoubt. But numerous polls have Clinton ahead by several percentagepoints, a trend that may help tilt some congressional races if itholds. Already, the trend has revealed some fundamental shifts inthe state's political culture and prompted some astonishing rolereversals.For decades, the law of Old Dominion politics was that localDemocrats tried to keep their national ticket out of sight and outof state. Just three years ago, Clinton was so unpopular that theDemocratic candidate for governor, Mary Sue Terry, prominentlyrepudiated his policies and labored to ensure that he and first ladyHillary Rodham Clinton both stayed north of the Potomac. She lostanyway.This year, Mark Warner, a 41-year-old former state DemocraticParty chairman, is not repudiating Clinton but embracing him. Hesat, smiling broadly, on the dais between Clinton and Sen. CharlesS. Robb (D). He even opened with a joke that highlighted his supportfor Clinton and a gaffe made by his opponent, Republican Sen. JohnW. Warner, who aired a television ad recently with a doctored imagein which Mark Warner's head has been digitally spliced onto Robb'sbody, as Clinton looks on smiling."My opponent has been taking some creative methods to get youand me in a photo together," he said, turning to Clinton. "Perhapstoday we can accommodate him."Mark Warner, who said his campaign polls show that the Senaterace has narrowed to 8 percentage points, made an effort to castJohn Warner as more conservative than he appears. He noted that the69-year-old senator has voted more often with the "Dole-Gingrichagenda" than Sen. Jesse Helms, the arch-conservative Republican fromNorth Carolina.He repeated his attempt to diminish the Oliver L. Norththank-you vote -- the tendency, confirmed by polls, that many votersfavor John Warner largely because of his opposition to the 1994Senate bid of Iran-contra figure North. Northern Virginians, inparticular, viewed that stance as courageous, a sign that JohnWarner was willing to buck his party's right wing on principle.People are wondering whether they should vote for theincumbent to thank him for opposing North, the Democratic challengersaid to the crowd. Should they? "No!" roared the crowd. To thosevoters, Mark Warner said, "Tell 'em to send him a thank-you note."McLean, who teaches math at Langley High School, said thatmessage rang true with her. A Clinton voter, she said that she was"complacent" about the Senate race but that now she "definitely" isvoting for Mark Warner.For Mark Warner, yesterday's rally and festival, whichfeatured children's games, vendors and hot dog and cotton candystands, may have been a last chance. Despite spending more than $6million of his own money on television ads, he is fighting adouble-digit lead held by John Warner, according to the most recentpolls, and aides who once hoped that Clinton wouldn't be too much ofa drag are now counting on him for a boost, particularly in NorthernVirginia.Mark Warner charged that his rival has consistently votedagainst Clinton administration initiatives, from the Family andMedical Leave Act, which guarantees workers unpaid time off to takecare of relatives, to Internet discounts for libraries and schoolsto putting more police officers on the streets.Not so long ago, Virginia Democrats would have steered clearof linking themselves with the national party, which they saw as tooliberal for a largely moderate to conservative state. Yesterday, sixHouse candidates shared the dais with Clinton: incumbent Reps. JamesP. Moran Jr. (8th District) and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (3rdDistrict), and challengers Tom Horton (11th District), Jeff Gray(6th District), Roderick Slayton (7th District) and Robert L.Weinberg (10th District)."It's not about party," Clinton said. "It's about vision."Earlier in the day, Clinton announced three new initiatives tofight breast cancer and address the needs of cancer survivors: a $30million increase in research funding for breast cancer, the openingof a breast cancer Web page site and the opening of a new Office ofCancer Survivorship in the National Cancer Institute.For Virginia, the rally was a vivid sign of the times -- onemore piece of evidence of how a state that used to revel in defyingnational trends is not so different anymore.For Clinton, the rally was more of a lark. With large leads insuch states as California, New York, Illinois and Ohio, he and hisaides consider competing for Virginia a luxury in which they canafford to indulge.Decades ago, the old Democratic Byrd organization, whicheffectively controlled the state, decided that elections forgovernor and the state legislature would be held in odd-numberedyears precisely so that local Democrats wouldn't be sullied by theliberal image of national Democrats. Even in the 1980s, VirginiaDemocrats such as Robb and former governor L. Douglas Wildersucceeded by distinguishing themselves from national Democrats suchas Walter F. Mondale and Michael S. Dukakis.This year, however, Clinton's success in Virginia apparentlyis being fueled by the same trends that drove his political revivalnationally, according to various polls and political analysts.Suburban voters, in particular, responded to his embrace of morecentrist positions on a balanced budget and welfare reform, hisfrequent speeches on family values and his denunciation of theRepublican Congress as extreme.Virginia voters, like the national electorate, are alsoproving themselves to be a volatile lot. Three years ago, they gavea huge landslide to Gov. George Allen (R), who campaigned against"meddling bureaucrats" and "nannies" in Washington. This year, whilepolls show Allen's approval rating continues to be high, voters alsoare responding to Clinton's message of government as a friendlypartner that "can give people the tools they need to succeed at workand at home."In 1992, George Bush won 45 percent of the vote in Virginia,compared with 41 percent for Clinton and 14 percent for Ross Perot.Allen, an outspoken Dole supporter who predicts a comeback forthe Republican, said he and Clinton may both be benefiting by thefact that the economy is doing well. And he said the state'spolitics are becoming less tradition-bound as the state grows."Virginians are seeing themselves in a new light," he said inan interview Saturday. Although still appreciative of heritage andtradition, he said, voters are less apt to be "always lookingbackward. . . . People are seeing an excitement for the future."Tom Morris, the president of Emory & Henry College and a longtimeanalyst of Virginia politics, said Clinton's strength this year isthe culmination of "three decades of demographic change" in whichthe state's politics have become more driven by independent-mindedsuburban voters.He noted that the campaign being run by Clinton is similar tothe one that supporters of Robb thought he would wage in apresidential bid someday, before he got tripped up in a scandal overa supporter's illegal taping of a Wilder phone call."Bill Clinton is simply less threatening to Virginia votersthan Democratic presidential nominees of the recent past," Morrissaid. "What Clinton has done is nationalized the Virginia Democraticmodel, emphasizing fiscal responsibility and moderation on socialissues."
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