Only new promise of the night came over keeping campaign ads positive

Date published: 10/10/2005

By CHELYEN DAVIS

RICHMOND--Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore swapped barbs and repeated campaign slogans for an hour last night in the last debate of the gubernatorial campaign.

Both men used their match-up to reiterate entrenched positions, but broke little new ground in the race's only debate to be televised statewide.

Kilgore promised to be a governor who would "trust the people" and further trim state government, while Kaine vowed to continue governing in the style of Gov. Mark Warner, under whom he serves as lieutenant governor.

Kaine painted Kilgore as untrustworthy and uninformed, while Kilgore portrayed Kaine as a tax-loving liberal.

Moderator Larry Sabato, a political professor at the University of Virginia, later called it a draw. U.Va.'s Center for Politics, which Sabato directs, and Richmond television station WWBT co-sponsored the debate, which was broadcast on CSPAN and most NBC affiliates in the state.

The third candidate, independent Russ Potts, was not allowed to participate because he failed to reach 15 percent in the polls, a rule established by the debate organizers. He filed a federal lawsuit late last week seeking a place, but lost it.

The only new promise of the night was Kaine's acceptance of a challenge laid down by Sabato in the closing minutes--to keep at least half of his campaign ads positive. Kilgore would not make any such promise.

Kaine later told reporters he thinks his campaign is already positive, and that he was incredulous Kilgore couldn't say the same.

"We've not run a single negative ad except responding to ads my opponent puts up," Kaine said. "I don't think responding to a negative is a negative. I'm not going to be a punching bag. We've had to correct misstatements of fact over and over again."

Kilgore said his ads are truthful and contain links to Web sites that back them up.

"We have a ratio, but I'm not going to talk about it, it's campaign strategy," Kilgore said. "I'm not going to allow a moderator or anyone to make political decisions."

Date published: 10/10/2005