Photos by Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Gilmore (right) pumped Tony Huffman's gas, and explained to customers his stance on oil and the economy. Gilmore supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other locations in the United States, while also supporting research for alternative fuel sources.

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Gilmore dispensed gas and campaign positions to Southwest Virginia motorists Tuesday morning, in his campaign's first visit to the area.

In Roanoke County, the Republican spoke with about a dozen people, many of whom said they had not expected to see their former governor at the gas station.

Wearing a blue blazer and tasseled loafers, and trailed by reporters and television cameras, Gilmore pumped their gas and heard their frustrations about the economy and high gas prices. Gilmore is emphasizing those issues in his campaign.

"I'm tired of the gas prices going up and wages ain't going up. Everything's going up but wages," said Tony Huffman, a Roanoke County scrap metal hauler who was wearing a Confederate battle flag do-rag and driving a black Chevrolet pickup truck.

"You stick with me, we'll win this thing," said Gilmore, as he wrapped up Huffman's gas service at the Orange Market on Thompson Memorial Drive in Roanoke County, near the site of the Civil War's Battle of Hanging Rock.

"We've got to drill in ANWR and we've got to drill offshore," the former governor added, referring to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which is thought to contain billions of barrels of oil.

Only a handful of cars pulled up at the pumps, perhaps because the Orange Market was selling regular gas at $3.95 a gallon, more than the $3.87 advertised at a station across the street. Gilmore did not pay for motorists' gas. He also stopped short of giving them the full-service treatment; he did not clean windshields or check the oil.

Gilmore is facing another former governor, Democrat Mark Warner, in this year's Senate race to replace Sen. John Warner, who is retiring. Although Mark Warner holds the fundraising advantage and leads in early polls, Gilmore assailed his rival's position on energy, saying it would not reduce gas prices.

"Mark Warner says we've got to wean off oil," he said. "These people here don't have that luxury."

Warner has proposed expanding alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and nuclear power. He has also called for the raising of fuel efficiency on vehicles, promoting telecommuting and pressuring oil-producing nations to increase capacity.

"Governor Warner is where John McCain is on ANWR. He opposes it [drilling] but he does support increasing domestic supply offshore. He would support lifting the moratorium off the Virginia coast," said Warner spokesman Kevin Hall. "The bigger issue is our addiction to oil and our need to invest more seriously in alternative, renewable energy sources."

Gilmore made it clear that while he would also support expanding renewable sources of energy, drilling in the United States remains the centerpiece of his "declaration of energy independence."

But the federal Energy Information Administration has found that increased drilling would not have much effect on gas prices until 2030, a conclusion that Gilmore dismissed Tuesday as "baloney."

Although Gilmore devoted himself to anti-terrorism efforts after leaving office in 2002, he has pegged his Senate campaign on Virginia's financial hardship.

"The public is telling me their focus right now is economic," he said. "We are for the working people. That's why we're doing this tour."

That strategy has worked for him before. In 1997, he swept into the governor's office on a populist promise to get rid of Virginia's personal property tax. And even though there is still a personal property tax in the state, frozen since 2002 at a reduced rate, a few voters Tuesday fondly recalled Gilmore's efforts.

"He's a good guy. He tried to help us with taxes," said Pete Asimakopoulos, who pulled up in a white Buick.

Gilmore spent about a half-hour at the Roanoke County gas station before heading to a gas station in Radford, the next stop on his two-day "Virginia Working Families" tour that was to take him from Winchester to Bristol. The tour also includes eight private fundraisers, each with tickets going for up to $1,000.

In Radford, Gilmore told Sheriff Mark Armentrout that he senses a groundswell among Republicans. "I feel them rallying," he said. "They're really nervous about the direction of the country."

But he expects support from outside the GOP, too.

"There are plenty of Democrats who buy gas," he said. "There are plenty of Democrats who buy food. There are plenty of Democrats who have families they're trying to support."

He also pumped gas for Radford University student Jacob Clue. As he pumped, Gilmore talked about his energy plan. Clue asked about education. The conversation did not secure Clue's vote.

"If someone lets just a pump of gas convince them, they aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing," Clue said.

Staff writer Tim Thornton contributed to this report.