The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 10

THE NEWS OBSERVER TUESDAY OCTOBER 20 1998 10A From Page One II KEY VOTES I LAUCH FAIRCLOTH I by Republican lauch Faircloth 1993: I III BORN: Duncan McLauchlin Faircloth on Jan 14 1928 in Sampson County the son of a farmer El EDUCATION: Faircloth enrolled at High Point College but withdrew after one semester to take over the family farm after his father suffered a stroke II PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: In 1950 Faircloth bought 1000 acres the beginning of what would become a huge farming operation including cattle and hogs in Sampson County Faircloth also is an owner of or investor in several nonfarming enterprises POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES: Faircloth worked on Kerr Scotts 1954 campaign for US Senate and Terry Sanford's 1960 campaign for governor In 1961 Sanford appointed Faircloth to the state Highway Commission and he served until 1965 He was appointed chairman of the commission in 1969 and served until 1973 He was named state secretary of commerce in 1977 and served until 1983 Rufus Edmisten defeated him in 1984 for the Democratic nomination for governor In 1990 he headed a Democratic group for Republican Sen Jesse Helms in his race against Democrat Harvey Gann Faircloth switched his party registration to Republican in 1991 In 1992 he won the US Senate seat by defeating Sanford II FAMILY: Twice divorced one daughter leave for employers of 50 passed entry of HIV-infected immigrants grazing fees on public lands abortion funding failed of US troops in UN missions failed semiautomatic assault weapons American Free Trade passed handgun-control law passed SENATOR'S Here are some of the key votes cast since he joined the Senate in January VOTE DATE MEASURE NO Feb 4 NO Feb 18 NO Sept 14 YES Sept 28 YES Oct 19 NO Nov 17 NO Nov 20 NO Nov 20 NO May 2 YES June 29 NO Aug 25 NO Dec 1 YES Oct 27 YES Dec 12 YES Dec 13 Oct 27 Reduce rate Dec 12 Approve flag burning Dec 13 Withhold Require family or more people Lift ban on failed Impose higher failed Prohibit federal Limit funding peace-keeping Ban many passed Approve North Agreement Approve Brady Safeguard Bar US military congressional Approve hire police Approve GATT passed access to abortion clinics passed action in Haiti without approval failed President Clinton's anti-crime plan to build prisons passed international trade accord of Medicare growth failed constitutional amendment against failed funding for US troops in Bosnia failed LUESC You 1 00 'The We I unre John the Reput 'We 70 citiz Les Repu' Leo' the I UESC 'The 1 '''''7 Wet un re John the Repot We citiz Les Repu' Leo' the 111 YES March 13 Place moratorium on listing endangered species failed March 21 Limit product-liability damage awards failed July 9 Increase minimum wage passed Aug 1 Approve welfare-reform bill passed Sept 10 Prohibit gay employment discrimination failed YES NO YES NO YES NO NO YES March 4 Approve constitutional amendment for balanced budget failed March 18 Impose campaign-spending limits failed April 24 Ratify chemical-weapons treaty passed May 20 Prohibit partial-birth abortions passed president vetoed May 23 Approve plan to balance federal budget by 2002 passed June 17 Pay US debt to UN with no conditions failed July 23 End federal tobacco crop insurance failed Sept 17 Eliminate funding for National Endowment for the Arts failed YES NO NO YES OW that is his main money producer "You newspaper people" he said warming up to one of his homespun Lauchisms which sometimes leave people bewildered "If John Brown was 6 feet 2 and weighed 110 pounds and was known as Slim when he was 23 he could get to 350 pounds and he would still be Slim" in the newspapers Faircloth was already a self-made millionaire when in 1967 he married Nancy Bryan the granddaughter of the founder of the Jefferson Pilot insurance fortune They were divorced in 1985 It was Faircloth's second marriage he married the late Lady Tarlton in 1955 and was divorced in 1964 His second marriage produced one daughter Anne a journalist with Fortune magazine in New York with whom he is very close (He recently canceled a weekend of campaign appearances when he learned his daughter would be visiting home) Faircloth lives in one of the most elegant homes in Clinton a town where he has lived all his life He still maintains the small-town habit of leaving his keys in his car When Faircloth goes into the local greasy spoon everybody calls him "Lauch" from farmers to the waitress He introduces the mayor as "the Marion Barry of Clinton" a reference to the mayor of Washington with whom Faircloth has done battle His showplace home aside Faircloth embodies the stereotypical tight-fisted Scotsman He was worth between $158 million and $66 million in 1997 according to reports filed with the secretary of the Senate But he drives a battered 1991 Oldsmobile and a used Highway Patrol car often stays in cheap hotels and has been known to have his tires recapped rather then put on new ones His offices his Senate office his commerce secretary's office and his business office have been so devoid of decorations that they look like those spare offices that only the summer interns use He routinely returns to the federal government some of his Senate office allowance There is a touch of Ross Perot in Faircloth without the quirkiness He is blunt candid to a fault and with the self-made man's distaste for bureaucratic red tape governmental jargon committees and meetings Viewing the state commerce post in Raleigh as a part-time job Faircloth installed a private line in his government office that was listed in the phone book as "Faircloth Farms Dobbs Building" He routinely spent Mondays and Frida3rs in Clinton overseeing his business empire Bumps in the road Critics have often accused him of blurring his public duties and his private interests As commerce secretary Faircloth often used the state helicopter to ferry him back and forth to Clinton As highway commissioner he was criticized for improving roads that added to the value of his land including the widening of US 701 and the relocation of NC 24 Politicians from other counties complained about all the highway money being funneled into Sampson County including the money that paid for a four-lane bypass around Clinton appropriately called the Faircloth Freeway His tenure as Highway Commission chairman also was sharply criticized by the state auditor for inefficiencies In fact Faircloth has had his problems with roads Famously lead-footed he was embarrassed during his 1984 gubernatorial campaign when foes leaked his driving record showing that he had been convicted of 32 traffic offenses most of them speeding in 28 years But Faircloth would much rather drive than fly During that same campaign he was nearly killed when his plane crashed into a McDowell County lake He swam out of the partially submerged plane and through burning gasoline minutes before the main fuel tank exploded To this day Faircloth avoids airplanes when he can he even drove to the Republican National Convention in San Diego in 1996 But then Faircloth had already traveled a long way from the days when he used to quip that there were two things in the world he never understood electricity and Republicans Faircloth shakes up his team Hard-ball strategist joins campaign BY ROB CHRISTENSEN STAFF WRITER Republican Sen Lauch Faircloth having lost ground in the Senate race in recent weeks has shaken up his campaign team bringing in a controversial strategist known for his hard-ball brand of politics The Faircloth campaign confirmed Monday that it has hired Arthur Finkelstein a New York pollster and campaign strategist and has fired pollster Neil Newhouse The shakeup comes a little more than two weeks before the Nov 3 election and days after polls showed Democratic Senate candidate John Edwards pulling even with Faircloth "I suppose he has been brought in to be the to be the person to administer the coup de grace to Edwards" said Ross Baker a political science professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey who has watched Finkelstein operate in numerous campaigns "I would guess that you are going to see much tougher salvos very very harsh broadsides" Baker said "It's very much part of his arsenal" Baker said Finkelstein's "first impulse is to label any Democrat as unacceptably liberal That has been effective in the past but it is a message that tends to wear thin after a while" The shift in strategists is unusual so late in the race But the Faircloth team has been unsuccessful in halting his decline in the polls Faircloth has been particularly hurt by ads run by the state Democratic Party and paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee that accuse him of voting to cut Medicare and of missing Senate votes according to GOP insiders (Actually Faircloth voted to slow the growth of Medicare not to cut it Faircloth has a 97 percent attendance record which is still one of the worst in the Senate) Finkelstein 53 is one of the best-known GOP consultants in the country although he is a publicity-shy individual who never gives interviews and has rarely been photographed He has worked for numerous candidates ranging from Ronald Reagan to GOP Sen Alfonse D'Amato of New York who is seeking re-election this year He also helped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on whose behalf he ran TV commercials showing then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres walking with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat The caption read: "A dangerous combination for Israel" Finkelstein is no stranger to North Carolina politics His first big campaign was US Sen Jesse Helms' 1972 Senate race and he worked for several subsequent campaigns involving Helms or candidates backed by Helms' old political organization the once-powerful National Congressional Club He was a key strategist for Faircloth in 1992 and he continues to be a strategist for Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer and for state House Speaker Harold Brubaker Some newspaper stories have suggested that one reason Faircloth did not initially hire Finkelstein is that he had become controversial A 1996 article by a Boston magazine disclosed that Finkelstein is a homosexual who lives with his male partner and two adopted children in Massachusetts The hiring of Finkelstein is seen as a victory for Tom Ellis a longtime strategist for Helms who has been lobbying for months within Faircloth campaign circles to bring in Finkelstein With Finkelstein in Newhouse was forced out "I hope to hell Lauch is successful and he wins" said Newhouse who was also a pollster for Helms' 1996 campaign There was a note of glee in the Edwards campaign over the shakeup in their opponent's camp "Faircloth Fires Top Aide and Hires Attack Smear Artists" said the headline on an Edwards news release "It's hard to imagine it could be more negative" Harrison Hickman Edwards' pollster said of speculation about the course of Faircloth's campaign "I would imagine there might be a sharper point on the advertising I don't think they brought in Arthur to go positive" Rob Christensen can be reached at 829 4532 or at robcnandocom 1 2 a ri it FAIRCLOTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE i inal "Branchhead Boys" a group of rural residents angry over the lack of roads and electric utility lines in the countryside who helped elect populist Agriculture Commissioner Kerr Scott governor He served as Sampson County chairman of Scott's campaign From that race Faircloth climbed in state politics forging friendships that would make him a key cog in the more liberal wing of the state Democratic Party He was the campaign driver for US Sen Frank Porter Graham the former university president and hero of Tar Heel liberals He was a close political ally of Goys Terry Sanford Bob Scott (Kerr's son) and Jim Hunt As a reward Sanford named him to the state Highway Commission Bob Scott made him the commission's chairman and Hunt named him commerce secretary Faircloth was so disliked by Republicans that soon after the GOP elected its first governor of this century in 1972 they renamed the Faircloth ferry The feeling was mutual The Republican Party Faircloth told a gathering in Clinton in 1970 "is the party of the very rich always has been and always will be It is dominated by the oil firms and the big businesses Its creed is high interest rates high unemployment and soak the little man" The Democratic office-seeker 1983-1986 After three decades of helping other men get into the governor's mansion Faircloth sought to succeed Hunt in 1984 He ran as a tax-cutting pm-business Democrat who was pro-choice on abortion and on tax-funded abortions and who supported the Equal Rights Amendment His key backers included not only many of the same business leaders who are backing his Senate bid today but also liberals such as his campaign vice chairman Eva Clayton now a congresswoman state Rep Mickey Michaux of Durham and Sanford Faircloth finished third in a crowded Democratic field won by then-Attorney General Rufus Edmisten Faircloth was preparing to run for the US Senate in 1986 when his old friend Sanford shocked him by jumping into the race and winning Faircloth thought he had Sanford's support and felt double-crossed The two would not speak for years they reconciled only when Sanford was on his deathbed this year The Jesse Helms Republican 1990-1996 Feeling that a conservative-leaning Democrat couldn't capture his party's nomination Faircloth began drifting toward the Republicans In 1990 he endorsed Sen Jesse Helms for re-election In 1991 he switched his registration to Republican And in 1992 with the backing of Helms' political organization the National Congressional Club he exacted his revenge by unseating Sanford defeating him 50 percent to 46 percent The Congressional Club then one of the state's most powerful political organizations ran his campaign whose most memorable line was "Workfare not welfare" During his first four years in the Senate Faircloth won over many Republicans with a voting record YES Feb 7 Restrict use of union dues for political purposes failed YES March 4 Impose nationwide 08 blood alcohol drunken-driving limit failed YES April 21 Provide $600 million to reward states that implement merit pay and teacher testing programs passed YES April 23 Allow $2000 annual tax-free savings accounts for public or private school expenses passed YES May 20 Table amendment to raise cigarette taxes to $150 per pack passed YES June 16 Place a cap on hourly rates for attorneys representing tobacco plaintiffs passed NO June 25 End ban on privately funded abortions in overseas military hospitals failed NO July 9 Reduce the student loan fee percentage to 3 percent from 4 percent failed YES July 17 Send a sweeping tobacco settlement bill back to committee effectively killing the legislation for 1998 passed NO July 22 Prohibit tape recording of phone conversations without the consent of all parties except in criminal investigations rejected YES July 23 Require the attorney general to allow more foreign workers into the US for farm work passed NO Sept 10 Close further debate on campaign finance reform amendment cloture motion rejected continuing debate and effectively delaying vote on the amendment NO Sept 22 Raise the minimum wage by 50 cents in January and another 50 cents a year later failed NO Oct 9 Set aside for another year the patient's-rights bill that would give patients more rights in dealing with HMOs passed that soon had colleagues joking that Helms was now North Carolina's liberal senator Among other things Faircloth was one of the Clintons' harshest critics during the Senate investigation into the Whitewater real estate deal The pragmatic Republican 1996-1998 Faircloth broke with the Congressional Club when he grew unhappy with its progress in retiring his personal debt from the 1992 campaign During the past two years Faircloth has sought to moderate his image voting for more environmental legislation and using his new post as a member of the Appropriations Committee to get money for North Carolina projects Faircloth's political odyssey from Kerr Scott-Terry Sanford Democrat to Jesse Helms Republican is not as remarkable as it might appear When Faircloth was first climbing the political ladder North Carolina was a one-party state and being a Democrat was the way to get ahead While he routinely backed the Democrat from the party's more liberal wing his support was usually based on friendship rather than ideology "I've been the in-house conservative for three liberal governors" Faircloth remarked in the 19805 Former Sheriff Raymond Goodman the long-time Democratic boss of Richmond County has known Faircloth since the 1948 Scott campaign and is still a friend He says Faircloth has always been conservative and pro-business "Lauch was a political animal who wanted to be elected" said Goodman who is sitting out this Senate race "He tried it on the governor's thing and they turned him down flat He realized his conservative image ruled him out of the Democratic nomination Lauch fundamentally hasn't changed his beliefs He is still the same Lauch Faircloth that I have known" If there are any threads that have run through Faircloth's career as business tycoon Democratic power broker and Republican senator they are pragmatism and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed "He is a deal maker he is a fixer he is someone who likes to connect the dots" said Ferrel Guillory a formerjoumalist who is director of the Program on Southern Politics Media and Public Life in Chapel Hill "While Jesse Helms promotes himself for his ideological purity 'You know where I Lauch I don't see associated with that" Guillory said "Adapting to the times making the deal making the arrangement making the handshake that works for him today is what he does In some ways his consistency is his very inconsistency" Faircloth is a vigorous 70 with a well-muscled body that looks like he could still take a pitchfork to a bale of hay Sometimes stiff in public Fair-cloth in private is what the British like to call a "clubbable" man He can be a charming raconteur with an endless supply of down-home anecdotes and impersonations of politicians such as Sen Strom Thurmond of South Carolina His razor-sharp wit can cut to the quick No Faircloth speech is complete without him trotting out one of his cast of countrified characters such as "Uncle Tug" It seems Faircloth says there League of Municipalities "The cynicism and apathy out there for government and politics is unbelievable You can cut it with a knife "People feel disconnected" Edwards said "They don't feel there is a democracy Those who get elected turn to the ones who gave gobs of money to their campaign" Republican incumbent Lauch semester to run the family farm after his father suffered a stroke Fain loth has always been sensitive about his lack of formal education but he has compensated by becoming a voracious reader of nonfiction books on such wide-ranging subjects as Texas ranches and sailing ships of the early 20th century He doesn't watch TV or follow sports his time is taken up with politics reading or checking the market prices for pork bellies Showing a knack for business at an early age Faircloth began assembling a business empire in rural Sampson County in the early 1950s At various times he has owned 15 ready-mix concrete plants seven automobile dealerships three shopping centers and several other businesses His 10000-acre Coharie Farms includes 3500 head of cattle and he contracts with local farmers to grow about 300000 hogs Faircloth is sometimes frustrated at being identified as a hog farmer in news stories although 1 was a church dinner on the grounds one Sunday and when it started to rain everyone piled into Uncle Tug's house "Uncle Tug" a little boy said "you ain't got enough chairs" "I got plenty of chairs" Uncle Tug replied "I got too much company" Faircloth can also be earthy profane and tough He is by all accounts not a man to be crossed in business or politics Nor is he likely to show up at a men's support group to share his feelings During a visit to his farm this year Faircloth ragged a reporter for putting on a pair of sunglasses boasting that he never felt the need for such wimpy protection Small-town roots Duncan McLauchlin Faircloth (he had a grandmother who spoke Gaelic) was born Jan 14 1928 in Sampson County He dropped out of High Point College after one Faircloth also was invited to speak at the forum but he did not attend His campaign manager Chuck Rifler did not immediately return messages left at his office in Raleigh Louisburg Mayor Lucy Allen who presided over the political form said league policy does not allow a substitute speaker for a candidate In his brief campaign speech Special-interest contributions alienating public Edwards tells forum Rob Christensen can be reached at 829-4532 or robcnandocom lie schools and buying more computers for classrooms "There's a lot of fat in the Department of Education's budget" he responded "We'll go line by line and trim the fat" Edwards said studies have found that only about 65 cents of each federal dollar spent on education makes its way into the classroom Edwards outlined his policies on education the environment campaip reform saving Social Security and health care Before leaving he also took several questions One delegate asked Edwards how he planned to pay for some of his proposals including hiring more teachers to reduce class size in pub THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHARLOTTE Democratic US Senate candidate John Edwards told municipal leaders Monday that special-interest money is turning more voters away from politics "It is a hard hard chore we're up against" he told about 125 people at a candidates' forum at the annual meeting of the North Carolina I.