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tape recorded radio broadcast of an interview with Rep. Slaughter to back up their claim that the congressman’s campaign is hiding him from view in order to hide incompetence. On the tape, Rep. Slaughter rambles in response to some of the questions posed by the host of an early-morning radio show in Winchester.
Last week Rep. Slaughter cancelled an engagement to appear with Mr. Smith at, an event in Winchester arranged by the city’s Business and Professional Women. Mr. Smith set a tape recorder on the stage and debated that.
Mr. Likins said last week that the congressman was backing out of the appearance before the Winchester BPW because of “prior commitments.”
In general, the blame goes to Congress for running late, Mr. Likins said. “French Slaughter is not going to miss votes to do campaign business,” Mr. Likins said. “It’s a campaign scheduling nightmare. But he is absolutely adamant. He has one of the highest voting percentage records in the House.”
If the budget negotiations permit, Congress may recess in mid- or late October, Mr. Likins said. Only then would Rep. Slaughter be ready to debate his opponent. He has been requested to appear at 63 functions, Mr. Likins said.
Rep. Slaughter has a commitment to appear this week before the Fauquier County Board of Realtors at an event not open to the public. The candidates’ night will probably not include a question period, according to a board spokesperson.
“Congressmen manage to get home to California and Oregon to debate publicly,” said Smith aide Ellis Woodward last week. “It’s ridiculous to argue that French Slaughter is too busy to meet the people just 70 miles away.”
Mr. Woodward charges that Rep. Slaughter is afraid of the issues, particularly abortion. Another factor, Woodward says, is that the Slaughter campaign is running scared. The numbers don’t look good for Slaughter, according to the Smith camp. In a poll commissioned by the Smith campaign, voters gave Slaughter a 48 percent rating of “favorable.”
“If it’s less than 50 percent, the incumbent is generally viewed as vulnerable,” Mr. Woodward said. The poll by Donilon and Petts Research, Inc. also found that only 23 percent of voters “definitely” want to re-elect Slaughter, and 21 percent would “probably” re-elect the incumbent Republican.
“The standard rule in polling is that an incumbent with fewer than 50 percent of the voters willing to reelect him or her is considered vulnerable,” the pollsters said.
96.5%