A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Friday, Feb. 6, 1998

Colorado governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Roy Romer and his family acknowledged Thursday that he had a 16-year relationship with a female political colleague, but he said the relationship was not sexual.

Allegations about a relationship with B.J. Thornberry have hounded Romer since 1990. At the time he said, "It's false. It's not true. I do not have an affair with B.J. Thornberry, nor have I ever. I don't have a sexual relationship with her now, nor have I ever." When asked on Thursday about the 1990 denial, Romer said, "I was carefully answering about having a sexual affair ... I'm not a very sexual person."

In an interview with the Denver Post, Romer said that "I needed an infusion of spirit and energy, and I found that in Thornberry. It was a professional relationship that grew into a supportive personal one," the governor said.

Neither Romer nor his wife and children elaborated on the "relationship." They said they were all aware of the "close friendship" and that it had not affected the family. Reports that a private investigator secretly recorded a video showing Romer meeting Thornberry at an airport and kissing her in a car for "six minutes" prompted the Romer family's comments. "Insight," the Washington, D.C.-based magazine published by the Washington Times, published the story on its Web site Feb. 5.

"My relationship with B.J. Thornberry is a long-standing one, which my family is fully aware of and understands. I ask people to respect our private lives." – Colorado Gov. Roy Romer (D) (Rocky Mountain News, Feb. 6)

Romer Acknowledges Relationship (The Denver Post, Feb. 6)
Governor Confronts Videotape (The Rocky Mountain News, Feb. 6)
Insight article that prompted the statements.

Republican Senate Candidate Spends Liberally

Illinois Republican Peter Fitzgerald bought more than $350,000 in television air time during one week to promote his U.S. Senate bid. Consultants call the outlay by Fitzgerald, a businessman whose personal wealth is estimated at $40 million, an "unheard of sum of money" to spend this far in advance of the March 17 primary. Fitzgerald's Republican opponent, state Comptroller Loleta Didrickson, has spent $140,000 per week over the last three weeks. They are competing for the GOP nomination in the race against incumbent U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D).
Fitzgerald Blankets Illinois With Television Campaign (The Chicago Tribune, Feb. 6)

Investment Pays Off for Calif. Businessman
A $4.3 million statewide ad campaign by Northwest Airlines executive Al Checchi evidently has boosted his standing as a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in a statewide poll. The latest Field Poll shows Checchi drawing 15 percent of likely voters – just six points behind the Democratic front-runner, Lt. Gov. Gray Davis. Last May, Checchi was polling just one percent. Checchi has said he is willing to spend as much as $50 million of his $550 personal fortune to finance his bid.
Checchi, Davis Lead Lungren in Polls (San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 6)

N.Y. Candidate Pulls Ad With Clinton – at President's Request
So much for the idea that White House scandals might make Democratic candidates distance themselves from President Clinton. Until Thursday, Brooklyn congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Charles Schumer ran a television ad showing him disembarking Air Force One with President Clinton. The White House asked Schumer to pull the ad because it implied the president was supporting Schumer over his Democratic primary opponents Geraldine Ferraro and Mark Green. The spot had run statewide, often between news coverage of Clinton's alleged involvement with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
White House Asks Schumer to Withdraw Ad (The New York Times, Feb. 6)

Former Secret Service Agent Clarifies Ad Stance
Illinois secretary of state candidate Tim McCarthy (D) was a secret service agent in 1981 when he took a bullet during an assassination attempt on then-President Reagan. "I don't intend to capitalize on that," he said when he announced his candidacy. "It's been with me ever since – whether it's a blessing or a curse, I did my job in 1981." McCarthy's current radio ads, however, seem to contradict that sentiment. The spots begin with the sound of gunfire followed by a narrator saying, "President Ronald Reagan is shot. So is Jim Brady. Also shot ... a 31-year-old Secret Service agent named Tim McCarthy." A McCarthy spokeswoman said the candidate's earlier statements only referred to using "the video."
McCarthy Opponents Criticize Ad (The Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 5)

Court Upholds Michigan Term Limits
A federal judge in Detroit upheld voter-approved term limits on the Michigan state legislature. Sixty-four members of the state House elected in 1992 will be unable to run again this year.
State Term Limits Affects 64 (Detroit Free Press, Feb. 6)

Car Tax Ax Won't Fall in Minnesota
Eliminating state car taxes is a hot topic in Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia, but the issue could not get one vote of support in a Minnesota state Senate committee.
Car Tax Measure Stalls (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Feb. 6)

Florida Black Senators Split With Party Detractors
Four of Florida's five black state senators said the Democratic Party should not be blamed for the ouster of a black lawmaker from party leadership in the state House. Black Democratic House members have threatened to pull their support for the party.
Senators Pull Caucus Support (St. Petersburg Times, Feb. 6)
Black Senators, House Members Split (Miami Herald, Feb. 6)