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GOP will pick Senate nominee next weekend
It'll decide whether Jim Gilmore or Bob Marshall can defeat Democrat Mark R. Warner.
BY HUGH LESSIG | 804-225-7345
May 25, 2008
RICHMOND - Virginia Republicans will nominate a candidate for the U.S. Senate next weekend, and they will choose between two men whose sales pitches couldn't be more different.
So meet Jim Gilmore — again. Last month, the former governor ate lunch with about 40 members of the Fairfax Rotary Club. He reminded them of his promise to cut the car tax when he ran for office in 1997. Once elected, he pushed relentlessly toward that end, reducing the tax — but not eliminating it.
He compared the car-tax fight to the current angst over high gas prices. Both are "kitchen table" issues that concern hard-working families, he says.
The inference: When Gilmore vows to cut gas prices as a senator — he wants to drill for oil in Alaska and off Virginia's coast — he will most certainly follow through, just as he did with the car tax.
During his talk, he takes a few shots at Democrat Mark R. Warner, who's running unopposed in his Senate bid. He doesn't mention the other Republican in the race.
That would be Bob Marshall.
The fiery conservative delegate from Prince William County recently appeared on radio station WTOP in Washington. In an interview that lasted less than 30 minutes, he took on Gilmore at every turn. He took on "gutless Republican consultants" who should be more fervent in their opposition to abortion. He took on Republicans who are tacking toward the center and forgetting their roots. He took on Warner in particular and Democrats in general.
In a later interview, he was asked whether Republican insiders — those who attend party conventions — are ready or willing to nominate such a rogue. He didn't object to the word, joking that some people have called him worse.
"They may not like it," he says, "but they're going to have to deal with it."
So it will go this coming Friday and Saturday, when GOP stalwarts gather at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Gilmore has declared a tacit victory, saying he has enough committed delegates to win the nod. Marshall says that is baloney.
Whoever wins will be the underdog in November against Warner, the popular former governor who has a huge edge in the polls and fundraising.
Gilmore, who also was attorney general, cites his support from established Republicans who appreciate his focus as a tax-cutter. He's confident of victory next weekend, but he downplays the need to trounce Marshall by a large margin.
"I can't, in this process, worry about running up the number on Bob Marshall," he said during the ride back from the Rotary Club. "The resources need to be spent on beating the Democrat in the fall. We have devoted, we think, sufficient resources to get the nomination without any problem, and that's the goal. We have not expended resources or executed a plan toward an 'expectation game.'"
Gilmore might be mindful of conserving resources because of where he stands in fundraising relative to Warner. Figures released last week show that Warner has raised nearly $8 million. Gilmore has raised about $1 million, including $50,000 from his own pocket.
Since April 1, Warner has raised nearly $1.5 million to just more than $180,000 for Gilmore. Warner has more than $5.2 million on hand, to Gilmore's about $205,000.
Gilmore is campaigning hard on gas prices, a fervent supporter of additional drilling. He doesn't dismiss energy conservation, but he says getting our own oil is a more immediate and urgent solution.
"There is nothing wrong with the idea of additional energy-efficient things — windmills and so on," he told the Rotarians "That's fine. We should do that. But right now, that is a very small percentage of this problem. Nothing's going in these tanks but gasoline."
He opposes a date-certain withdrawal of troops from Iraq. He wants to keep taxes low and balance the federal budget. Asked during lunch how he could erase the deficit and still keep taxes low, he said he would have to examine the budget.
"You can't make those decisions from a lectern in a room like this," he said.
In a later interview, he talked about Marshall's energetic opposition and the need to unite the Republican Party this fall.
"My focus is on Mark Warner," he said. "To the extent that I would have gotten into some sort of raucous fight with Bob Marshall, then that would have increased the temperature, the division, and I just chose not to do that."
Marshall has never shied away from the hot seat. He took on the majority of the General Assembly when he sued to overturn part of the 2007 transportation financing plan that set up regional authorities in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.
The Virginia Supreme Court said Marshall was right. On June 23, the General Assembly will attempt a do-over, convening a special session on transportation.
On the Iraq war, Marshall would call on the Iraqi government to contribute financially toward the rebuilding of that country, so the United States can divert more resources to domestic issues.
On gas prices, Marshall has tried to persuade Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to waive the ethanol requirement in fuel. Ethanol reduces gas mileage and diverts corn away from food production, which is causing a rise in grocery bills.
He's an unrepentant policy wonk. He reads medical journals to stay abreast of issues like abortion and stem-cell research. During his WTOP interview, he came close to getting stumped when a caller asked a question about genetically altered soybeans.
"I have been watching the issue of genetically altered plants," he replied after a momentary pause. "I am concerned that whenever you step outside the parameters that nature has put before us, you're going to get into trouble."
He says his own anti-abortion credentials outweigh Gilmore's, and that right-to-lifers might stay home in November if Gilmore is the nominee.
"These people have been turned off so many times," Marshall said. "That's a distinct possibility he has to worry about."
Gilmore, for his part, has been working to mend fences with fellow party members.
In 2001, the GOP split over whether to continue the phase-out of the car tax. Gilmore wanted to press forward while moderate Republicans called it too risky. The ugly split paved the way for Warner's election as governor in November of that year.
Uniting the party, Gilmore said, "is going to be a challenge. I'm being straightforward about this. But I think we can do it around a federal campaign against Mark Warner."
Republicans have lost the past two races for governor and the most recent U.S. Senate race. They would like nothing better than to end their losing streak by scoring an upset against Warner.
But first, they have to agree on who of their own two choices is more electable.
The candidates
JIM GILMORE
Born: Oct. 6, 1949
Political history: A prosecutor from Henrico County, Gilmore was elected attorney general in 1993 and governor in 1997. He started a presidential campaign this year but never made a dent in the polls and withdrew.
Related experience: He chaired a congressional commission on Internet commerce, recommending that it remain tax-free. He chaired the Gilmore Commission on terrorism and serves as president of USA Secure, a nonprofit homeland security think tank.
Education: Undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia
Family: Married to Roxane Gatling; two sons.
You might not know: Fluent in German, Gilmore served in the Army and was active in secretive counterintelligence duties in Europe.
BOB MARSHALL
Born: May 3, 1944
Political history: Elected to the House of Delegates in 1991, serving a district that includes Prince William County
Related experience: Serves on the House Finance Committee; the Counties, Cities and Towns Committee; and the Science and Technology Committee. In 2007, he sponsored legislation to create the Virginia Commission on Immigration and serves on that group.
Education: A bachelor's degree in history and philosophy from Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and a master's degree in humanities from California State University
Family: He and his wife, Cathy, have four living children. A son, Chris, is deceased.
You might not know: Marshall has a personal library of more than 2,000 books.
Republished courtesy of The Daily Press. |
