Gilmore brings campaign to city

By Brian McNeill

Published: July 30, 2008

In his quest to win the seat long held by retiring U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore is optimistic about his odds of victory.

“We are seeing this [Republican] party coming together,” Gilmore told a crowd of 40 supporters Wednesday at Sam’s Kitchen on Emmet Street. “I’m here to tell you, we’re going to win this race for the United States Senate.”

Gilmore, who swung through Charlottesville as part of a statewide campaign tour, is facing former Virginia governor Mark Warner in the Nov. 4 contest.

Warner holds a sizable lead in both polling and fundraising. Yet Gilmore is undaunted.

“We Republicans have the right message,” he said. “We are about the people who are hurting out there right now.”

Over the past month, Gilmore has visited 38 cities and counties across the state on his Working Families Tour. Voters are telling him, he said, that they are most concerned about the rising prices of food and fuel.

“That’s what’s driving people crazy out there,” Gilmore said. “People are working for a living and they can’t pay these gas prices.”

Gilmore, a University of Virginia alumnus who served as governor from 1998 to 2002, has made gas prices the centerpiece of his campaign. If elected, Gilmore would seek to expand investment in “fresh” automobiles, electric cars and hybrid vehicles. He would work to implement incentives for wind and solar power. He would try to boost the nation’s use of coal and nuclear power. And he would support drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, as well as off the nation’s coastlines.

“We need to drill for oil in the United States of America,” he said. “Drill now!”

Warner has said that he does not support drilling in ANWR, but does support allowing the states to decide if they want to allow offshore drilling for oil and gas. Warner has also called for the expansion of alternative energy sources, as well as traditional sources, including nuclear power.

Gilmore sought to paint Warner as untrustworthy. He pointed out that Warner promised during his 2001 gubernatorial campaign to not raise taxes, but then subsequently raised taxes as governor to pay for education, law enforcement, and other core government services.

Warner has said that Gilmore left the state’s finances in shambles. The tax increase, he has said, was to close a $6 billion shortfall left by Gilmore’s administration.

Gilmore said that there was no shortfall and that he left Virginia’s government in fine fiscal shape.

He portrayed himself as a dependable tax-cutter who is concerned about the plight of Virginians struggling to get by in a soft economy.

“You know me,” Gilmore said. “You know I’ve kept my word.”

Sam Jean, owner of Sam’s Kitchen, was a Chinese citizen until July 4, 1999, when he was sworn-in as a naturalized American citizen at Monticello. Presiding over the ceremony was Gilmore.

“He was a regular Joe,” Jean said. “I’ve been following him ever since. … I hope and pray that he will be our next senator.”

Jean said he likes Gilmore’s positions on lower taxes and energy policy, as well as his overall conservative philosophy.

Jim Ryan, a computer programmer from Charlot-tesville, said he is a conservative, but did not know much about Gilmore.“I’m hear to listen,” he said.

Ryan said he is inclined to support Gilmore, as he wants to see the government cut wasteful spending and ensure that America “stays the course in Iraq so they can have a free and stable society.”