counted for far more than Mr. Warner’s wafer-thin 4,721

counted for far more than Mr. Warner’s wafer-thin 4,721 vote margin of victory over his Democratic opponent, former Attorney General Andrew Miller. There were 1,222,266 votes cast in that election.

A similar observation, to be sure, might be made about Gov. Robb on the other side of the political hill. His entry into and meteoric rise in Virginia’s Democratic politics was certainly assisted in no small measure by his marriage to Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of the late President Lyndon Johnson.

But in this political year of 1984, political gimmickry of many kinds has abounded.

President Reagan’s use of Democratic President Harry Truman’s whistle-stop train coach for a campaign swing through Ohio last week would certainly qualify as a gimmick, indeed, the frequent invocation by Republicans of the most revered names in the Democrats’ pantheon of heroes could also be described as a mite gimmicky. Certainly Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy were not noticably admired by the GOP while they were winning and wearing their political laurels.

Democrats, of course, are quick to point out that if the Republicans want to summon up pulse-quickening figures from the past for their campaign purposes, they really have no place else to go. After all, those in the GOPs own pantheon, such as Coolidge, Hoover, Nixon, Agnew, Miller, Ford and others are not exactly the types to get the old red, white and blue adrenalin pumking in an election year.

Just why the Republicans have not made more use of the memory of President Dwight Eisenhower is a bit hard to understand. But then Ike may be a bit bland for the 1984 party’s bom again bomfoggery.

Mrs. Harrison’s proposal that she and Mr. Warner campaign jointly during the remaining weeks before the election is, most assuredly, a novel and unconventional approach to the vote-getting process. If Mr. Warner should agree to it, which of course he will not, it would certainly stir up interest in the race.

On the campaign trail Mrs. Harrison has proved herself to be a capable, well-informed and unflappi&le adversary. Her exchanges with Mr. Warner during their joint appearances have been among the most spirited and dynamic of any between candidates during this election year, and she has more than held her own in each of them.

Of course her proposal is a gimmick.

But the point is there is nothing wrong with gimmicks. Their use is as American as apple pie.

And in spite of the fact that the odds in this race overwhelmingly favor her opponent, Harrison’s tenacity, temerity and high-spirited chutzpah make it one of the most interesting contests of the year.

It may be one-sided, but its worth keeping an eye on.