The Michigan Daily-Thursday, August 3, 1978-Page 9 LEVIN is ANYONE WHO ENTERS a political race with more than a 30 percentage point lead, as Carl Levin did, is bound to have problems. While everyone else has nowhere to go except up, the man on the top can only go down. The former Detroit City Council president, who had the highest name recognition due to his brother Sander's two attempts to become governor, has faced the gradual erosion of his Detroit power base. State Senator Anthony Derezinski (D-Muskegon) has pulled away some of the Slavic ethnic vote. Former U.S. Rep. Richard VanderVeen has attrac- ted a portion of the Detroit black vote with assistance from black Mayor Coleman Young. Ann Arbor newspaper publisher Philip Power, who has spent about $700,000 of his own money on the camnaign. has been en- dorsed by the Detroit Black Slate. Both Power and State Rep. Paul Rosenbaum are doing their best to steal away from Levin the white suburban vote in Oakland County. LEVIN, A Swarthmore and Harvard Law School graduate, has been criticized by his opponents for inactivity. They have charged that Levin has been tight-lipped about the issues for fear that he would lose votes everytime he spoke. But during an extensive interview Levin was anything but evasive. In fact, Levin generally gave more direct answers than most of his opponents. Levin's style is casual. Though not an outstanding public speaker, he gets his point across in a clear, concise fashion without boring his audience. In a small group or with one person, Levin is relaxed, and jovial. Levin's manner makes it easy for people to relate to Levin as if he were an old friend. LEVIN HAS BEEN criticized for oc- casionally arriving at speaking engagements or fund raisers several hours late. This seems to be true, but it is not due to lack of trying. Levin is the only can- didate in the Senate race who does his own driving. While his opponents use the time between engagements to rest or read, Levin says he prefers to drive, calling it "therapeutic." Levin drove a taxi in Detroit 'during the summers back in his college days. After college, Levin practiced law for a few years before he was appointed assistant attorney general and general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. In 1968 and 1969 he served as Michigan special assistant attorney general and as chief appellate defender See LEVIN, Page 12 Levin Senate seat Onounced his at least one day with each of the Senate aled everyone hopefuls. and decided to Editor's note: The Daily made several the high ponts unsuccessful attempts to spend a day with paign. Robert Griffin and Brooks Patterson. ag for media However, Patterson did grant the Daily a apathetic than 20-minute interview. POWER P HILLIP POWER IS a soft-spoken man who enjoys the comfort of well-worn Levis and a denim shirt in the privacy of his home. But despite his gentle man- ner, Power wields a big stick-Power has estimated his personal wealth to be between $7 and $17 million. His wife Sarah is also worth between $1 and $2 million. In his quest for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, Power has been anything but shy about using that stick. As of July 28, he had either given or lent $691,546 to his campaign. He has collected an ad- ditional $73,134 from other sources. Collectively, his opponents have raised only $632,854. Only one person in U.S. political history has ever come close to spending that much money on a primary campaign, Sen. H. John Heinz (R-Pa.)-and he won. Both the press and the electorate have been talking about Power's fortune and the way he's using it in this race. Even his Democratic opponents are hard pressed not to tease Power with light jokes or guarded com- ments about buying elections. BUT ASIDE FROM his fortune, Power brings a remarkably diverse background into this offrelection- year primary. Though he has never been acandidate for public office, Power's credentials are nevertheless impressive. He graduated summa cum laude from the University in 1960, did a year of graduate work here, then studied at Oxford, England where he received a BA and MA in philosophy, politics and economics. When he returned from England in 1964 he went to Washington, D.C. to work with Congressman Paul Todd (D-Kalamazoo). In 1968, Power dipped into the family fortune, greatly enhanced by his father's sale of University Microfilm to Xerox Corporation, to buy several bi-weekly, community newspapers. From these Power built a highly successful chain of 28 com- munity papers. Power often refers to himself as a "newsman," and his biography supports that claim. But his critics say his only claim to the "newsman" moniker was a one- year stint as the Sports Editor of the Fairbanks, Alaska Daily New-Miner. POWER ALSO LIKES to say he was a foreign correspondent. His biography states he was actually a See POWER, Page 13 in Patterson rower VANDERVEEN ALTHOUGH PHILIP POWER and Carl blacks, VanderVeen is expected to do well proves heis an independent man. Levn ae ot xatlyshain inthi western Michigan where" he is well SECOND,. VANDERVEEN said he was Levin are not exactly shaking in their nwsen1ihgnweeh swl elected in a staunch Republican district. boots, fellow candidate Richard Vander- fnownfor filling the seat vacated by e a staunsR a disrit. Vehashwbohmntathraefr Gerald Ford. He says this demonstrates his ability to Veen has shown both men that the race for VanderVeen is particularly proud of that defeata Republican on his own ground. the Democratic nomination for U.S. accomplishment. He won a special elec- VanderVeen also has the advantage of a Senate is not a just a two-man contest. tion in 1974-the first Democrat to capture proven congressional record on national While Power has backed his candidacy and international issues. On the basis of with more than $600,000 and Levin has the that seat in 64 years-and filled the vacan- that record, he has received high ratings advantage of state-wide name recognition cy created when Ford became Vice for his congressional performance from formr US. Rp. ande~ee hascolec- President. former U.S. Rep. VanderVeen has collec- Vr e the League of Women Voters, the United ted the most broad-based and important VanderVeen likes to use that election to Workers and the AFL-CIO illustrate several gualities he feels makes endorsements in the primary. He ranks third among the Senate can- The 55 year-old VanderVeen has been h the s ab c t s didates in fund raising. The most recent backed by the Michigan Education pose incumbent Sen. Robert Griffin. First figures show VanderVeen has raised Association and by the Detroit Free Press. VanderVeen points out that he ran his figures s e nt as1raise Ani bhtmyuliaeypoems campaign during the Watergate hearings. $156,337. He has spent $152,195. And, in what may ultimately prove most cmag um h aegt erns VANDERVEEN a Harvard Law School, beneficial to Power, VanderVeen has been He said despite the advice of Democratic VADuEVEEs a H r Lwy Sool able to cut into Levin's Detroit power-base party leaders, he ran on an anti-Nix port U.S Ambassador to the United frt slckbehind c enea s ss a. of e Nations Andrew Young-the subject of a IN ADDITION TO his support fr 1< tie 1974 general - 1a .. Ths he said, .See VANDERVEENPage12.VanderVeen . , ..