Evening star., 1961-11-05
VIRGINIA
fINSITNIA
Byrd-Bocked Candidates
. Seen Poll Victors tuesday
Continued From First Page

c o m p q T / s o. n, after having
trounced an anti-Byrd chal-
lenge in a heated party pri-
mary last July.
Mr.. Harrison, 54, a native
OF Lawrenceville, in SouthSide
Virginia, served in the State
Senate for nine years before
being elected Attorney Gen.
eral in 1857. He resigned that
office last April to run for
Governor.
His running mates are State
Senator Mills E. Goodwin, jr..
4s, Of Suffolk, also in SouthSide
Virginia, for Lieutenant-Gover-
nor, and State Senator Robert
Y Button, So, Of Culpeper, for
Attorney General.
afr. Pearson, Sc, who formerly
served as first assistant United
States attorney for the Western
District Of Virginia, was elected
to two terms in the House of
Delegates after having defeated
an incumbent Democrat in 1858
in his native Lee County. in
Southwest Virginia.
The G. O.P slate is completed
joy Mrs. Hazel K. Barger, so. of
Roanoke, national committee
woman, for Lieutenant Cover
nor, and Leon Owens, 80, Com
,monwealth's attorney of Russell
County. for Attorney General.
The bitterest House fight-and
one claiming Statewide atten-
tion-is that of Delegate James
M. Thomson of Alexandria, a
1-vote winner in the Democratic
primary, against two opponents,
Brendan J. McCann, Republi-'
can, and independent Robert
T. S. Colby, former Republ-
can.
Mr.. Thomson has been bat
ting against resentment over
his 1-vote victory in the July
primary after a court-ordered
recount in which some ballots
we're thrown out for such rea-
sons as x-marks not being en-
tirely within the box beside a
candidates name or because
the x was not completely
crossed.
Challenge Widened
For the first time within
memory. too, Republicans are
challenging Democrats in all
Of the other House seats in
nearby Virginia-three in Ar
nngton and two in Fairfax.
The greatest handicap can
didates have had to overcome
outside of Alexandria-is voter
apathy. Levin Mock Davis. Sec
retary to the State Board of
Elections. estimates the vote for
Governor will be about AIS, 900
or $4,000 below that Of the
last gubernatorial election in
1857.
In that campaign, ]. Lindsay
Almond, jr., plunged into the
ace far ahead of the time when
candidates normally announce.
The belief is widely held that he
vas not the choice Of the pow
arful organization headed by
Senator Byrd, but Mr.. Almond
made such headway that the
organization ended UP backing
him.
Since then Gov. almond, who
rstires January Is because Of a
constitutional prohibition
against succeeding himself, has
crossed the Byrd forces on at
least three major iSsues-by
departing from the massive
resistance" approach to public
school integration; by advo-
eating a sales tax and budget
proposals opposed by the Or
ganization, and by actively
campaigning for the election Of
President Kennedy at a time
when Senator Byrd failed to in
dorse the national Democratic
ticket.
= Closer to Byrd
Although Mr.. Harrison is not
generally regarded as a mas
sfve resister" on the school is
sue. most observers believe he
would work in closer harmony
with the Byrd faction.
An important gain in Byrd
strength also would be recorded
with the election Of Senator
Goodwin as Lieutenant-Gover-
nor, who would preside over the
Senate. He would replace
Lieut.. Gov. A. E. S. Stephens,
who sided with Gov. Almond
on the school and budget issues
and who made an open break
with Senator Byrd during the
recent primary campaign for
Governor.
On the other hand, Mr.. God
win, an accomplished orator,
served as spokesman for the
Byrd organization in every
major engagement in the Sen
ate. He led the fight to pre-
serve massive resistance"
which allowed the closing Of
integrated public schools, but
has pledged in the current
campaign to preserve a public
school system.
In the House Of Delegates
the presiding officer, Speaker
z. Blackburn Moore of Berry
vile, close friend of Senator
Byrd, is unopposed for re-elec-
ton on Tuesday. Thus, the
probabilities are that strong
ly Endorsed Byrd men will pre-
side at both ends of the Capt.
tol next January.
Senator Button, as Attorney
General, would be expected to
continue his unswerving loyalty
to the organization.
East Coast TwirIers