Two Vie to Replace Wright in House Seat

FT. WORTH —  Voters on Tuesday chose between a television medical commentator and a former Senate aide vying to replace former House Speaker Jim Wright, who was toppled by an ethics investigation after 34 years in office.

Democrat Pete Geren, a former aide to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, faced Republican Dr. Bob Lanier in the special election. The winner will serve the remainder of Wright’s term, which expires next year.

Republicans saw the election as a chance to capture the 12th District, a longtime Democratic stronghold covering most of Ft. Worth and Tarrant County.

‘Upstream Swim’

But Lanier, making his first run for office, acknowledged that his race was an “upstream swim” because the district is heavily Democratic and because Geren raised more money.

Lanier, 44, a pediatric allergist and immunologist, is featured on “60-Second Housecall,” a television spot syndicated to local news broadcasts in more than 40 television markets.

Geren, a 37-year-old attorney, was an aide to Bentsen from 1983 to 1985. He lost a 1986 race in the 6th District to Rep. Joe Barton, a Republican.

The campaign stirred little interest. Tarrant County Election Administrator Robert Parten predicted that 20% to 25% of the district’s 287,000 registered voters would vote.

Wright resigned in June to avoid facing allegations that he repeatedly violated congressional ethics rules. He remains popular in the district.

Runoff Necessary

An eight-candidate special election on Aug. 12 drew only a fifth of the district’s voters. Lanier won 39% of the vote to 32% for Geren, making a runoff necessary because neither received a majority.

Geren and Lanier have emphasized their endorsements and differing backgrounds.

Geren was endorsed by Wright and Bentsen, and cited his experience as a legislative aide.

Lanier received endorsements from President Bush and former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry. He said he was in better touch with his constituents’ concerns than his opponent.

Both candidates oppose abortion but would not criminalize it, want better health care funding for the elderly and support strong measures against illegal drugs.

Backs Troops in Colombia

Geren supports sending U.S. troops to Colombia to fight drug dealers, opposes restrictions on owning semiautomatic weapons and signed a pledge to vote against any new taxes.

Lanier said he would finance the war on drugs by selling special bonds, advocates limiting House members to 12 years in office and emphasizes his interest in social problems.

Elsewhere, several cities held mayoral primaries Tuesday.

In Buffalo, N.Y., Mayor James Griffin faced two challengers in the Democratic primary, and was running unopposed on the Republican and Conservative Party ballots.

In New Haven, Conn., where Mayor Biagio DeLieto is retiring, state Sen. John Daniels ran against former city administrator John DeStefano Jr. in the Democratic primary. Daniels hoped to become the city’s first black mayor.

Minneapolis Mayor Don Fraser opposed six challengers in his bid for reelection, while in St. Paul., Minn., nine candidates were on the primary ballot to replace Mayor George Latimer, who is retiring. As in Minneapolis, the top two vote-getters were to advance to the Nov. 7 general election.