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August 9, 1978, AM cycle
LENGTH: 294 words
BYLINE: By GEORGE W. WILBUR, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: RICHMOND, Va.
BODY:
Former Secretary of the Navy John Warner made it official Wednesday, declaring
his candidacy to replace the late Richard Obenshain as Virginia's Republican
nominee for the U.S. Senate.
"Supporters will put my name in nomination before the Republican State
Central Committee on Saturday," Warner said at a news conference at the
state Capitol here.
"I'm ready to hit the deck and start running hard," he said.
The task of picking a new GOP nominee fell to the 78-member central committee
when Obenshain, who beat Warner for the nomination at the June 3 state party
convention, died in a plane crash Aug. 2.
Warner, the millionaire husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor, appears the certain
nominee. All other potential rivals for the committee's nomination have removed
their names from consideration.
If he gets the nomination, the 51-year-old Warner said, his wife "will
join very actively in my campaign."
She was hit "very severely" by Obenshain's death, he added, because
one of her previous husbands, film producer Mike Todd, was killed in a plane
crash.
Obenshain "was a good friend, he waged a good fight and gave all he had,"
Warner said. Fate has dictated that someone must step up and assume that responsibility."
Warner, regarded as less conservative than Obenshain, said he had received encouragement
and offers of support from political leaders from throughout the state.
He portrayed himself as a strong candidate who can lead, who cares about people
and who "doesn't need on-the-job training."
"I pledge every ounce of strength and wisom I have in this race,"
he said.
The Republican nominated by the central committee here Saturday will be running
against Democratic candidate Andrew P. Miller, a former state attorney general.