Gilmore rallies Republican leaders

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: July 30, 2008

Republican Senate candidate Jim Gilmore made a swing through Southside and Central Virginia Wednesday with stops in Martinsville, Collinsville, Rocky Mount and Lynchburg.

In Rocky Mount he stopped by a local bar-b-que restaurant where he sounded a lot like Senator Barack Obama.

“It’s time for a change. We have to have a change,” Gilmore told the crowd of two dozen.

The former governor was here to rally the Republican troops.

“The caliber of people in this room is wonderful. You’ll make the difference in this community,” he said.

The room was full of Franklin County Republican activists and leaders like Del. Charles Poindexter and former Del. Allan Dudley. Gilmore asked them all to make sure then had a Gilmore bumper sticker on their car.

“People around Rocky Mount need to see this,” he said.

And he instructed them to get the Gilmore message out to neighbors, family and friends. He wants them to sell the primary issue of this campaign telling the group “what’s on people’s mind is gas prices.”

For Gilmore, that means all things related to energy and he thinks he has figured out a solution to our problems. He proposes a comprehensive plan that includes nuclear power, conservation, and coal.

On almost every component, he and his Democratic opponent, Mark Warner, agree.

WARREN: “DO YOU AGREE SO MUCH THAT IT’S NOT GOING TO HELP YOU WIN?”

GILMORE: “No, because the key point is that we have to drill for domestic oil and on this we are very different, very, very different.”

It’s a point Gilmore makes over and over at all campaign appearances.

GILMORE: “We very different on this. I say we do and Mark says we should not.”

WARREN: “YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT DRILLING IN ANWR. IS THAT DISINGENUOUS GIVEN THAT BOTH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SAY THEY’RE NOT GOING TO DRILL IN ANWR SO ANY BILL THAT PASSES CONGRESS WOULD LIKELY BE VETOED ANYWAY?”

GILMORE: “No, that’s not right. If the people want to have drilling domestically and ANWR is a great place to do it. The people will speak.”

At least Gilmore hopes that happens, because if the voters jump on this issue, it certainly increases his odds of winning.