By Jon Jeter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 20, 1998; Page A08

Choosing pragmatism over conservative ideology, Republicans here nominated for governor a moderate former Democrat over his two more right-leaning rivals, who GOP officials here feared had little chance of winning a general election.

After hours of debate and four ballots, Republican state delegates chose St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman today as their gubernatorial nominee in this fall's general election. The nomination is essentially a concession that while the moderate Coleman is not the most faithful disciple of the party's principles, he provides an energized Republican Party with the best opportunity to win against a Democratic opponent. In the fourth and final ballot cast here today, Coleman won 66 percent of the votes, vanquishing former state lawmaker Allen Quist and Lt. Gov. Joanne Benson.

"The social activists have become practical," said Bill Cooper, chairman of the state GOP. "This group is much more interested in electing a candidate than making a statement. The key that moved this whole delegation were the polls that showed Coleman had a better chance of winning a general election than any other [Republican] candidate." The hotly contested campaign for the GOP endorsement here, however, reflects a growing fissure in the party nationwide. Across the country, Republicans are weighing whether their most hard-line disciples can win statewide general elections.

In Illinois, Republican Party officials earlier this year campaigned against Peter Fitzpatrick, a millionaire who opposes abortion and favors gun rights, in the primary for the Senate seat being defended by Democrat Carol Moseley-Braun. Fitzpatrick defeated his more moderate GOP opponent, but Republicans fear that he may not fare well in the fall against the one-term incumbent.

And in Kansas, David G. Miller, a small-town insurance agent and former state legislator, is challenging popular first-term Gov. Bill Graves for the state GOP nomination. The campaign has sharply split the party, largely between abortion opponents who support Miller and Graves's more moderate camp. And the party's internal bickering has encouraged Democrat Tom Sawyer, the minority leader of the state House of Representatives, to enter the race.

In Minnesota, the gubernatorial campaign is critical to the GOP future. In a state long dominated by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, Republicans are energized by their prospects of claiming the governor's mansion for a third consecutive term and upending the Democrats' stronghold here.

In an effort to present a unified GOP front, Quist, a Christian activist, and Benson have both agreed not to contest the party's gubernatorial nomination. The DFL nominated for governor Mike Freeman, a former local prosecutor and son of former governor Orville Freeman. But he is opposed in the fall primary by five other Democrats, including state Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III and state Sen. Ted Mondale, both sons of former vice presidents.

Coleman switched to the Republican Party after serving one term as mayor of St. Paul. But the blue-collar, largely Democratic city still overwhelmingly elected him to a second term. Coleman is widely viewed as a fiscal conservative but is not nearly as outspoken on social issues, although he is an abortion opponent.

"A lot of people here would have preferred someone a little more conservative," said Kevin Voss, 21 and a Coleman supporter. "But the bottom line is that no one else is electable. Some Republicans might not get all they want with Coleman, but he's electable."