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By JAMES C. MILLER III
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
The Virginia Governor’s race is now over.
As of this writing (Nov. 8), only the Good Lord knows who really won. Wilder is narrowly ahead, but Coleman has asked for a recount. During this period of uncertainty, perhaps we can assess the race and the future with some measure of objectivity.
First, despite the drubbing both candidates received for negative advertizing, the salient feature of this campaign was the absence of any overt focus on race. That’s not to say race didn’t play a part. Some whites no doubt voted for Coleman because they just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a black man.
And the overwhelming support Wilder got in the black community had something to do with race, though for many, if not most, it likely was a matter of pride rather than prejudice. I saw that pride on the faces of some of the black people that attended the Coleman reception at the Omni last evening.
I detected that pride in the voice of my wife when she broke the news to me that Mondale had chosen Ferraro as his running mate. And I felt that pride beat within my own chest when I saw a Southerner sworn in as President in 1977.
No, Wilder ran as a Democrat, not as a black candidate. And Coleman ran as a Republican, not as a white candidate. Both are to be congratulated for keeping the election out of the racial thicket.
The disappointing thing to me about the campaign is that it was fought over issues that are largely irrelevant to the new governor. The
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