Va. Police Group Endorses
Coleman in Governor’s Race
CAMPAIGN, From D1
"He did not tell us that he had
opposed making it a felony to aim a
gun at a police officer in an effort to
avoid arrest, and he certainly did
not tell us that he had justified that
vote by saying that such a law
might provoke police officers to
commit murder.
“The FOP would not have know¬
ingly supported someone with such
a philosophy four years ago, and we
will not do so this year. The issue is
trust, and the record shows that
Marshall Coleman has earned the
trust and the support of police of¬
ficers. Douglas Wilder misled us,
and he has forfeited that trust,” the
statement concluded.
[The media war between Wilder
and Coleman has heated up consid¬
erably in the last two weeks, with
the GOP nominee hitting hard at
Senate votes Wilder cast in the late
1970s against capital punishment
for killing a police officer and
against making it a felony to aim a
gun at an officer. Wilder campaign
aides have responded that aiming a
gun at a police officer was already
punishable as a misdemeanor and
that the bill to make it a felony
failed; they also note that Coleman,
too, once voted against capital pun¬
ishment, though both candidates
now support the death penalty.]
; “Austin has said so many nice
things about me,” Wilder said later,
“it’s a little surprise.”
The FOP’s current president, Lt.
Gerald Bright of the Old Dominion
University public safety depart¬
ment, said Austin “does not speak
for the state lodge.” Bright said the
endorsement represented the ma¬
jority view of the directors of the
organization’s 46 lodges statewide,
each of which cast one vote. He
would not disclose the vote break¬
down, however, and he declined
further comment on it, saying “once
aidecision has been made, we speak
with one voice.”
' But Wilder sought solace by say¬
ing that he had been told that nearly
half of the lodges had voted for him,
and by adding that the endorsement
was not by popular vote. He also
pointed out that two-thirds of the
state’s sheriffs and common¬
wealth’s attorneys have endorsed
him.
Coleman’s campaign countered
that this year’s FOP endorsement
was broader-based than the one in
1985, which was made by the
FOP’s legislative committee, and
that most of the state’s sheriffs and
prosecutors are elected Democrats.
The FOP, which represents
5,900 law enforcement officials
statewide, also endorsed Republi¬
can state Sen. Edwina P. “Eddy”
Dalton for lieutenant governor and
Democrat Mary Sue Terry for re-
election as attorney general.
In his opening statement at to¬
day's debate, Coleman appeared
bent on getting into the Guinness
ndorses Coleman
OP Says Wilder Has ffm/t (jimemOk
By Donald P. Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
HOT SPRINGS, Va., Sept. 26—
jpublican gubernatorial nominee
Marshall Coleman, who has been
larging that his Democratic rival,
Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, is soft
crime, snared a major endorse¬
es today from the state’s Frater-
il Order of Police.
The announcement, delivered by
oleman at the conclusion of a de-
ate with his opponent before the
, , , , , irginia Manufacturers Association
record book for the number of neg-
егб|
was a significant blow to Wil-
ative remarks delivered in a seven- er> whose endorsement by the
minute monologue. OP in 1985 was a key to his his-
He recited with machine-gun rep- )rjc victory as lieutenant governor,
etition issues on which he said Wil- “it doesn’t help me,” a dejected
der, who Coleman said has “an ex- Wilder said after the debate, only
tremely liberal record,” has
зе
second face-off in an increasing-
changed during his 20 years as an j acrimonious gubernatorial cam-
elected official. aign in which polls show Wilder
Among them were the state’s nd Coleman virtually even, with
right-to-work law, which both can- he election six weeks from today,
didates repeatedly told the manage- Coleman played the endorsement
ment group they strongly support, rom the FOP’s state lodge like a
“My opponent has a habit of do- rump card at the end of the 90-
ing to the truth what Hurricane uinute exchange before an audi-
Hugo did to Charleston,” Coleman -nce of about 350 at the gracefully
said. “The bottom line is ‘Who
сап*®ВД
Homestead resort. Asked lat-
vou trust?’ ” ;r “ow Quickly the endorsement
Wilder enunciated his own list ofvould fh™ “P 111 a ca[Wn c0™;
- — . • u . nercial, Coleman said it would
issues on which Coleman has take wMe ^ause we did not
changed his view, including abor- :now k was coming
»
tion which Coleman now opposes in Four Wilder pla yed up
nearly all instances), and he accused is F0P endorsement in a commer-
Coleman of trying to run down my ial featuring a small-town police
character and the reputation of the ffjcer that both his supporters and
commonwealth.” aponents said represented a turn-
But Wilder said “no false ads can
mask the truth” that under the last
eight years of Democratic leader¬
ship, Virginia has enjoyed its lowest
unemployment in 21 years and now
ranks 10th in the nation in per ca¬
pita income.
Wilder said he represents “the
new mainstream” of Virginia and is
the logical successor to Gov. Gerald
L. Baliles and his Democratic pre¬
decessor, Sen. Charles S. Robb,
while Coleman, he said, has been
“the most consistent critic of that
progress.”
штат
ing point in his uphill campaig
become the highest-ranking b
state official currently in office
tionwide.
While largely symbolic,
FOP’s endorsement gave W:
credibility with large number
voters in 1985 — he has repeat
referred to it as a turning poii
that campaign — and his failur
retain the group’s support this
deprives him of an important in
dient in his current strategy, {
ical analysts said.
“It’s a break for Coleman,
has been concentrating so he
on crime issues,” said Larr
Sabato, a University of Virgini;
litical scientist, though he sai
doubted it would help Colemar
way it did Wilder four years
“The FOP can’t be consider
Democratic organization,” Sc
said, “especially since it play
major role in the Republican ]
idential campaign last year.”
Coleman exuberently rea
statement to the audience
George Austin, who was FOP ]
ident when Wilder got the oi
ization’s backing and is now an
director. Austin, employing phi
straight out of Coleman’s star
stump speech, said in his state
that “four years ago, Doug W
did not tell us the truth abou
weak law enforcement re
about his support for releasin
olent criminals early, about hii
ure to support law enforcemei
ficers when it counted.”
See CAMPAIGN, D6, Coll
