VOL. 59 NO.5 NEWS LETTER University of Virginia • Institute ofGovernment JANUARY 1983 THE 1982 ELECTION FOR U.S. SENATOR IN VIRGINIA By Larry Sabato Virginia and American politics. (Byrd and interested in the nomination; these included Mr. Sabato is assistant professor ofgovernment at the his father had continuously held the Senate former Attorney General Andrew P. Miller, University of Virginia. This News Letter is excerpted seat for nearly fifty years.) Byrd's decision to Senate Majority Leader Hunter B. Andrews, from a chapter in the forthcoming Virginiq Votes 1979­ 1982, to be published by the Institute ofGovernment in retire served to reinforce the new era of two­ and Delegate Owen Pickett of Virginia the spring of1983. Allfootnotes in that chapter have been party competition that had begun more than Beach (the state party chairman). In order to deleted here, because ofspace limitations. a decade earlier, and it set off a flurry of reduce fratricide and give the eventual activity in both parties. Democratic nominee a headstart equal to Among Republicans, First District U.S. that of the unopposed Trible, Democratic Representative Paul Trible, who had made leaders, including Governor Charles Robb, The results of the November 1982 no secret ofhis senatorial ambitions since his initiated a series of meetings and informal elections in Virginia gave both major first days in the House of Representatives, surveys that involved the potential candi­ political parties reason to rejoice. The and who had been campaigning for the dates, the key party officials, and others, all Republicans gained a U.S. Senate berth and nomination for over a year in case Byrd designed to arrive as a consensus choice for the Democrats won three U.S. House seats. retired, immediately became the GOP front­ the Democratic nomination. Eventually, the But the clearest message of the Old Domin­ runner. Despite grumblings from many in consensus formed around Pickett, and the ion's elections in 1982 was that Virginia, in the party that Trible was too young and too other potential candidates dutifully with­ its elections at the state and congressional ambitious, senior Republicans like former drew from consideration. district levels, had become one of the most Governor John N. Dalton, U.S. Representa­ As the Democratic party repeatedly has competitive two-party states in the nation­ tive Stanford E. Parris, and former Delegate proven, its coalition is tenuous and fragile. a state where close elections are now Wyatt Durrette declined to challenge Trible; In this case, Pickett in his campaign kick-off commonplace, where reversals of power are and so Trible received his party's nod by reverently invoked, without qualifiers, the frequent, and where neither party can take acclamation in a June convention. name of Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Tha~, coupled any election for granted, even those featur­ The Democratic story was more compli­ with the failure of several black-sponsored ing incumbents. At the same time, the GOP's cated. A number of major Democrats were bills in the recent legislative session, was victory in the statewide U.S. Senate contest, while narrow, suggests that this two-party competitiveness still has a Republican tinge; THE 200th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION when all campaign advantages and disad­ In 1987 Virginia and the nation will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the United vantages are relatively equal or balanced, the States Constitution; the final page of this News Letter discusses some of the special state's electorate will lean to the GOP's significance that this commemoration holds for citizens of the Commonwealth. nominee. This News Letter reviews the 1982 Governor Charles S. Robb has designated A.E. Dick Howard, Counselor to the election for U.S. senator in Virginia, Governor, as the member of the governor's staff responsible for offering encouragement examining the voting results that gave the and support to groups and institutions planning activities during this Decade of the victory to Republican candidate Paul Trible Constitution. Professor Howard, .who was the chief architect of Virginia's current and analyzing the major campaign issues constitution, has written extensively about constitutional law and history. that contributed to Trible's win. Governor Robb has also designated the Institute of Government at the University of Virginia to offer staff assistance and to be responsible for actual coordination of, and THE PARTY PRELIMINARIES assistance to, groups and institutions as they undertake plans for events marking aspects The unpredictable twists and turns that of the constitutional decade. Under the aegis ofthe Institute, an ad hoc steering committee have come to characterize Virginia politics has met several times to share information on activities being planned around the since the demise of the Byrd Organization Commonwealth. Timothy G. O'Rourke, a research associate and assistant professor at were much evident in the winter and spring the Institute, is specifically responsible for overseeing the Institute's role of information of 1982. Ironically, the son of the machine's gathering and sharing and of assistance to those wishing it. longtime boss was primarily responsible for Individuals or groups desiring further information are invited to contact either Mr. the tumult. In late ovember 1981 Harry F. Howard (address: Office of the Governor, Richmond, Virginia 23219) or Mr. O'Rourke Byrd, Jr. unexpectedly announced his (address: Institute of Government, 207 Minor Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottes­ retirement from the U.S. Senate, thereby ville, Virginia 22903). ending a remarkable era in the annals ofboth 18 enough to send black state Senator L. THE GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS the Roanoke Sixth, and the Piedmont Douglas Wilder into the fray. Wilder Seventh) by substantial, though not over­ declared Pickett unacceptable and threa­ After an acrimonious general election whelming, margins. Trible's Fifth District tened to run as an independent in the general campaign, Republicans elected a senator in majority of 52.9 percent was unusually low, election, thereby drawing crucial black votes November, and Trible narrowly defeated perhaps reflecting the success of an earlier away from the Democratic candidate and Davis by 724,571 votes to 690,839 votes, or a black voter registration drive there that almost certainly resulting in the election of margin of51.2 percent to 48.8 percent. Trible helped to produce a large, heavily Demo­ the Republican nominee. Mediation efforts carried fifty-eight ofninety-five counties and cratic black vote on election day. by Governor Robb failed and, in the end, nineteen of forty-one cities in fashioning his Even while losing, Davis won five of the Wilder's threat and the coincident failure of statewide victory. state's ten congressional districts: the the low-key Pickett to excite the party forced Geographically, the key to Trible's elec­ Norfolk-Virginia Beach Second, the Tide­ Pickett to withdraw in early May. Inciden­ tion was his home congressional district, the water Fourth, the Southwest Ninth, and the tally, at the time of his withdrawal, Pickett First, which includes Newport News, Hamp­ Northern Virginia Eighth and Tenth dis­ already had secured a pledged majority of ton, the Northern Neck area, and the Eastern tricts. In the Second, Eighth, and Tenth the Democratic convention delegates (the Shore counties. Normally a marginally districts, however, Davis's pluralities were mass meetings having already been held), Democratic area, the First District, with a well below expectations, p imarily due to and therefore was the neminee-presumptive. high turnout, generated a plurality of 28,375 disappointing showinKs in the suburban He is thus one of the few candidates in any votes for its favorite son. Since a strong localities of Fairfax County and the City of American state ever voluntarily to have Democratic candidate usually can count on Virginia Beach. (Davis lost the latter by a turned down a cert~in U.S. Senate nomina­ a First District plurality of at least 10,000­ shattering 10,000-vote margin, perhaps tion for a reason' other than scandal or 12,000 votes, Trible's margin in the First reflecting in part a residue of bitterness personal illness. represented a net gain for Republicans of about the Democrats' treatment of native Wilder withdrew the day after Pickett's almost 40,000 votes-more than Trible's son Owen Pickett .earlier in the year.) The withdrawal, and Democrats began a mad statewide plurality of approximately 35,000 Ninth District also proved to be a substantial scramble to find a standard-bearer. Candi­ votes. disappointment to Davis; his narrow 52 dates tested the waters, took the plunge, and Besides the First District, Trible also percent majority was surprisingly small in a then retreated to the beach with dizzying carried four normally Republican districts Democratic-leaning area with substantial speed. Party leaders overwhelmingly fa­ (the Richmond Third, the Southside Fifth, unemployment. vored Lieutenant Governor Richard J. Davis as a proven vote-getter and the 1981 ticket-leader. Yet 'Davis, fearing that a Table 1. The Urban Vote in the 1982 Virginia General Election for U.S. Senator sufficient campaign war chest could not be raised, took his name out of consideration. Percent of Percent of Votes Cast for Another potentially strong contender, state Urban Measure Total Vote Davis (D) Trible (R) Senate Majority Leader Hunter B. Andrews, 49.5 50.5 also became discouraged and renounced a Urban Corridor a 58.1 possible candidacy. Standard Metropolitan Other more willing contenders did sur­ Statistical Areas b 64.9 49.2 50.8 face, most of them with regionally concen­ Central Cities 18.0 60.4 39.6 trated followings. These included liberal Suburbs 46.9 44.9 55.1 former U.S. Representative Joseph L. Fisher 31.8 48.1 51.9 of Arlington, the Secretary of Human Rural Areas c Resources in the Robb administration's cabinet; moderate Fairfax Count Com­ SOU CE: COlllpiled from official election results provided by the State Board of monwealth's Attorney Robert Horan; and Elections.