Tim Craig at the Washington Post points out that Gilmore seems to have found his issue – standing against the bailout:
Although it’s difficult to know how many people were watching, Gilmore delivered a strong performance by framing it as a contrast between two candidates with differing views of the bailout.
Gilmore came out strongly against the $700 billion plan, arguing in a concise way that it amounted to government run amok. Warner supported the bailout, saying it was needed to prevent economic turmoil. Warner tried to pin the need for Congressional intervention on lax oversight by the Bush administration and “greed” on Wall Street.
Warner noted that both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama voted in favor of the plan, prompting Gilmore to say at one point, “I’m not in this for John McCain, I am in this for the people on the other side of this camera.”
For once, Warner’s efforts to turn the contest into a referendum on Gilmore’s record as governor was overshadowed by an issue of more immediate concern. The only thing anyone who watched the debate will probably remember tomorrow is the word “bailout.”
Now the hurdle facing the Gilmore Campaign with less than a month to election day is getting the word out, something they are hard pressed to do with limited funds and resources.
This isn’t the first time Gilmore has been on the popular (and right) side of an important issue this cycle. On energy he was an early proponent of the “Drill Here, Drill Now” mantra but couldn’t get any traction, partially for lack of resources, greatly for lack of attention being paid by the Virginia media on this race aside from pointing out Mark Warner’s lead in the polls (RCP average of 26.3%).
Gilmore may also have to face a “Johnny Come Lately” response from many. The bailout has been big news for over two weeks now, but Gilmore’s first public stand on it one way or another came Friday night after all the debate, votes, and signing were done. This is offset by Warner’s rubber stamping of the plan, highlighting not only Warner’s being out of touch with working families but also how sending him to Washington will put yet another cog in the Reid/Pelosi big government machine.
If Gilmore can get the word out about this and get a bit of traction, he may see some gains in Virginia. Whether this is a game changer in that he has a chance has yet to be seen, but if he can start closing the gap even a little bit he not only saves face but could very well save the state up ticket. Warner’s lead can only help Obama’s chances in Virginia and may be a large part of why McCain and Obama are so close in the Commonwealth. If Gilmore can chip away at that 26.3% he can boost McCain’s chances come November 4th just as much as his own. He’s got four weeks to make it happen.
