Buchanan Wins Big Over GOP Rivals in Virginia Straw Poll

Presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan claimed victory Saturday in a straw poll of Virginia Republicans that he hopes will give him momentum even as rivals dismiss it as meaningless.

In one of the largest rump voting sessions to date in the nascent battle for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination, Buchanan, the conservative columnist, swamped the field by winning 59% of the 1,083 votes at a fund-raiser in Tysons Corner. Republicans paid $25 for voting privileges.

Such contests rarely predict the general public’s presidential preferences, but they can be big morale boosters to trailing campaigns and provide a barometer of the sentiment among party activists.

The poll results also show that conservatives control the state Republican apparatus. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, a moderate who is the front-runner in national polls, collected just 7% of the vote. California Gov. Pete Wilson and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania received less than 1% each and were hissed when mentioned.

Of the nine candidates, only Buchanan, radio talk-show host Alan Keyes and Rep. Robert K. Dornan of California showed up to address the group. Keyes finished second with 11%, followed by Sens. Phil Gramm of Texas and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, with 8% each. Dornan received 4%.