Endorsements

In the race for Virginia governor, a relative consensus has emerged that there is a clear choice between the candidates running for office this Tuesday, Nov. 8. Here are some excerpts from newspaper endorsements across the commonwealth.

“The fundamental problem a liberal politician has in Virginia is this: He frequently cannot say what he sincerely believes; rhetorically he must obfuscate and hide… Kilgore can be categorical, unequivocal, and direct in expressing his views…”

– Richmond Times-Dispatch endorsing Kilgore, 10/30/05

“Funding represents the starkest contrast between Kaine and Kilgore… It’s a choice between a man who has shown reluctance to pay for governmental necessities like education and a man who is not only willing to pay, but is willing to make sure that the students are not the ones bearing the brunt of the cost.”

– U. Va. Cavalier Daily endorsing Kaine, 10/25/05

“Kaine has proven his commitment in the last four years to college students in Virginia. Along with Governor Mark Warner, Kaine helped balance Virginia’s budget… The surplus created in the last four years has and will continue to fund additional opportunities for college students…”

– Geroge Mason Univ. Broadside endorsing Kaine, 10/24/05

“This race isn’t a hard call. Mr. Kilgore is a pleasant fellow, down to earth and politically shrewd. But the bottom line is what he represents: old-style, doctrinaire, unimaginative, cramped governance that would leave the state stalled in neutral, at best.”

– Washington Post endorsing Kaine, 11/06/05

“Look to the 2004 budget debate, in which Kaine took the politically perilous, but correct, position of advocating for higher taxes for schools, public safety and health care. That aligned him with Virginia’s longstanding bipartisan tradition of fiscal prudence, an approach validated by the financially reckless detour Virginia took in the late 1990s.”

– Virginian-Pilot endorsing Kaine, 10/30/05

“Jerry Kilgore is an energetic conservative and a proven leader who has worked tirelessly to make Virginia a safer place by bringing lawbreakers to justice.”

– Washington Times endorsing Kilgore, 10/27/05