Sunday, October 16, 2005
Kaine, Kilgore have plenty of cash for final month of race
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roanoke.com/politics
RICHMOND -- The major-party candidates for governor began the final full month of their race with nearly the same amount of cash in their respective war chests, according to information released by the campaigns Friday.
Republican Jerry Kilgore closed out the month of September with a cash balance of $5.27 million, while Democrat Tim Kaine had $5.19 million on hand. All statewide campaigns have until Monday to file reports with the state Board of Elections detailing their financial activities from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30.
Kilgore and Kaine continue to raise and spend money at a record-setting clip. Kilgore, the former attorney general, raised $2.76 million during the month of September to bring his fundraising total to $16.8 million. Kaine raised $2.2 million in September, taking his total to nearly $15.5 million.
Kaine's campaign said its September receipts included a $100,000 contribution from Pulaski County resident R.J. Kirk, the chairman and chief executive of New River Pharmaceuticals. Kirk has now contributed $200,000 to Kaine's campaign. Kirk also has contributed $50,000 to Kilgore's campaign, but his last contribution was in 2003. He has since declared his support for Kaine.
Kilgore's top contributor in September was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which contributed $100,000 to the Republican's campaign.
Kilgore and Kaine have major fundraising events scheduled for this week. Vice President Dick Cheney will be the star attraction at a private event for Kilgore on Monday in Richmond. And former President Clinton is scheduled appear at Kaine fundraisers Friday in Charlottesville and McLean.
Former Gov. Allen stumps for McDonnell
U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-Virginia, took to the skies Monday to tout Republican candidate Bob McDonnell for attorney general.
The former Virginia governor appeared with McDonnell at airports in Roanoke and Danville, praising him for helping carry legislation during the '90s to reform the "lenient liberal parole system," the juvenile justice system and welfare.
"It's vitally important that the people of Virginia have someone in the attorney general's office who's going to be on the side of law-abiding citizens instead of criminal apologists," Allen said.
McDonnell served on a commission during Allen's tenure that recommended abolishing parole. He also served as the chief patron to "monumentally reform" the juvenile justice system, Allen said.
McDonnell attacked Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds for supporting the creation of what he called "happy criminal commission." Deeds, then a member of the House of Delegates, signed on as a co-sponsor to a 1995 bill that would have created a citizen advisory board in each Department of Corrections region. The bill never came up for a vote in a House committee.
The bill called for the advisory board to examine the state and administration of prison facilities, the health and safety of prisoners, and the treatment of visitors, among other things. The board was to include judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials, as well as inmate advocates, former inmates and relatives of inmates.
9th District candidates turn up the volume
The two candidates for the hotly contested 9th House District seat have drenched radio and, to a lesser extent, television, with new ads in the waning weeks of the campaign.
Republican incumbent Del. Allen Dudley has a new radio advertisement accusing Democratic challenger Eric Ferguson of misrepresenting himself to voters. After the sound of a wolf howling, Richmond lobbyist and Franklin County native Charlie Davis says that Ferguson has a "scary little secret."
"Liberal Eric Ferguson wants you to pay even higher taxes," says the announcer.
A voice with echo effects then intones, "Liberal, liberal, liberal, liberal."
The announcer goes on to say that Ferguson supported the highest tax increase in Virginia's history and will vote for more.
Dudley campaign manager Peter Foster said he's also produced several positive television ads that focus on his experience and accomplishments.
Ferguson, meanwhile, has also produced a slate of radio ads and a television ad.
One radio ad is a response to the "liberal" attack, with Ferguson campaign manager Joe Stanley calling Dudley a liar.
In the television spot, Stanley says Dudley tried to subvert the judicial selection process to make his son a judge, accepted taxpayer money for a nonexistent office and voted against budget money to track down sex offenders. In between each attack, the ad shows out-of-context clips of Dudley speaking at a recent candidate forum.
Others take a somewhat milder tack, with Ferguson continuing to cast himself as an "old-timey Democrat" in the mold of former presidents Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt.
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