Virginia 2005 Gubernatorial Election (user search)

Quote from: Jtfdem on October 18, 2005, 03:33:53 PM

Quote from: MHS2002 on October 18, 2005, 03:05:06 PM

Potts is in. He will not drop out.

Potts gets pro-choice GOP nod, decries death penalty ads

By BOB LEWIS
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Independent gubernatorial candidate Russ Potts, wounded by being locked out of the only debate televised statewide, promised Monday to remain in the race "till the last dog dies."

Potts quelled rumors that he might exit the campaign and side with Democrat Tim Kaine over Republican Jerry Kilgore.

"I would never, never get out of this race. I could never live with myself," Potts said at a news conference.

"Till the last dog dies, I will be in this race and you can bet on that," he said. "And I will not endorse anybody."

A dissident Republican from Winchester serving his fourth state Senate term, Potts criticized both of his opponents, but particularly Kilgore, whom he accuses of leading the most right-wing ticket ever in Virginia.

Potts said his campaign had been hurt by his exclusion from a televised debate Oct. 9 between Kilgore and Democrat Tim Kaine.

"It's obviously calculated by Mr. Kilgore that he does not want to ... face the music with the voters of Virginia between now and election day," Potts said. "He is hopeful that people will forget the fact that I was excluded from the debate."

Potts was barred from the debate for failing to muster at least 15 percent in statewide public opinion polls before the debate as ground rules dictated.

Potts spoke at a state Capitol news conference during which he received the endorsement of the Republican Majority for Choice, a national group that backs GOP candidates who support the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

Of the three gubernatorial candidates, Potts has taken the clearest position in support of abortion rights.

"I have said unequivocally and repeatedly that if Roe v. Wade would be bounced back to the states and a governor had to make a decision about whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, I would strongly endorse the retention of Roe v. Wade and would ... veto any attempt to overturn that," Potts said.

Kaine has personal objections to abortion based on his Roman Catholic faith but says he would oppose efforts to outlaw abortion in Virginia.

In three debates this year, Kilgore refused to say whether he would sign a bill to outlaw abortion in Virginia if a new Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade. He has, however, advocated allowing abortions for rape and incest victims only if they have reported the attacks within seven days to police and would not rule out criminal penalties for abortion doctors.

He also implored Kilgore and Kaine to end their fight over the death penalty that has consumed the campaign the past week. He said it was an effort by both campaigns to avoid discussing such issues such as the state's transportation crisis and adequate public school and health care funding.

"Everywhere we go we hear the comment, `Is this the most important thing we can talk about in Virginia?'" Potts said.

"Regardless of who is elected in Virginia, I can assure you that the death penalty will be applied because ... if one candidate or the other went off the deep end and tried to grant clemency on every death penalty, make no mistake there would be huge amounts of legislation passed to put a halt to that kind of practice," he said.

Virginia's 94 executions since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1974 rank second only to Texas.

Damn

Or as we say in Georgia: Shucks, a muck.

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