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By MARY K. BLEWITT
Arundel Newspapers State Writer
Unity was clearly the theme of the state Democratic convention as the Democratic Party of Virginia made official its Wilder-Beyer-Terry ticket in Richmond Saturday.
Over 3,500 Democrats gathered at the Richmond Centre to witness the nomination of Lt. Gov. L. Douglas Wilder for governor, Donald S. Beyer for lieutenant governor, and Attorney General Mary Sue Terry for reelection as attorney general. , Wilder, flanked by former Virginia governor and U. S. Sen. Charles S. Robb and Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, emulated a solid party candidate, accentuating the threeway division of the GOP gubernatorial race.
With linked hands raised high, Wilder, Baliles, and Robb moved to disparage images of their past differences.
“Why am I supporting Doug Wilder other than because he’s a Democrat?" asked Robb, who admittedly criticized Wilder’s loosely-knit 1985 campaign for lieutenant governor . “For the same reasons I supported him for lieutenant governor —qualifications, leadership, and experience — more experience than all three of his prospective Republican opponents combined.”
Gov. Baliles too took jabs at Wilder’s opposition. He drew applause from the crowd when he said that listing the shortcomings of the Republican party was unnecessary because, “No matter what I say about them, it can’t be any worse than what they are saying about each other.”
Addressing the banner-waving crowd. Wilder pledged to be “Virginia’s anti-drug czar” and to work to bring economic development to all of Virginia. In addition, he promised to continue gains made in education, environmental protection, and transportation. If elected. Wilder would make history as the nation’s first bl^ck governor.
Beyer, a Falls Church automobile dealer who faces the better known state Sen. Edwina (Eddy) P. Dalton (D-12th District) for the lieutenant governor’s seat, emphasized his business experience. In a powerful, articulate speech, Beyer likened himself to Virginia’s founding fathers.
“Before they entered public life, James Madison and George Washington were successful Virginia planters,” said Beyer. “And before he wrote the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson was, like me, a successful Virginia car dealer.”
The Democrats portrayed Dalton as an inexperienced senator riding on the coattails of her late husband and former Gov. John Dalton.
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