Ed Gillespie in 2014 VA Senate debate
On Health Care:
Ebola: Impose a flight ban from West Africa
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner and Republican challenger Ed Gillespie hammered each other over ethics and taxes in their third and final scheduled debate.Warner and Gillespie found common ground in their criticism of the Obama administration's handling
of the Ebola outbreak. Warner said the administration should have moved more quickly in setting up Ebola screenings at major U.S. airports, while Gillespie said the U.S. should have already imposed a flight ban on planes coming from West Africa.
Source: News-Tribune on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Oct 13, 2014
On Gun Control:
Fight UN gun ban treaty, & fight bans on guns or ammunition
The National Rifle Association blanketed its home state--the group's HQ is in Fairfax County--with direct-mail material touting Ed Gillespie. Gillespie, the mailer says, is the antidote to the "Obama/Bloomberg gun control agenda." And more are expected.
The ad could have unintended consequences for Gillespie, who secured the nomination in part by courting tea party conservatives--but who is now trying to woo more-moderate general-election voters. Gillespie risks alienating the electorate in vote-rich
Northern Virginia who may be turned off by Second Amendment rhetoric, especially after mass shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
[In the NRA flyer], a smiling Gillespie appears alongside his pledge
to "strongly oppose and fight against" Obama's "anti-gun nominees for the US Supreme Court," a UN gun ban treaty, any bans on guns and ammunition, a federal gun registration database and government approval for gun sales among friends and family.
Source: Washington Post PacWatch on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Aug 23, 2014
On Abortion:
I never supported a Personhood amendment
Gillespie does not have a long paper trail on abortion issues, and he pushed back when Warner said he would overturn Roe vs. Wade or push a Personhood amendment, which would say life begins at conception. "Please provide the documentation for my support
of any of those things," Gillespie said.Warner countered: "If you are in the Senate, would you vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade? Did you not also support a personhood amendment?"
"No," Gillespie replied. "When did I support a Personhood amendment?
There's not going to be a vote to overturn Roe v. Wade," Gillespie said. "That's a Supreme Court decision. I'm running for the United States Senate."
The Warner campaign's evidence that Gillespie supports Personhood is thin.
They point to the platform passed by the Republican National Committee in 2004, when Gillespie was party chairman. "Gillespie chose the platform director and said the platform reflects the 'beliefs of our party,'" Warner's campaign emailed after.
Source: Politico.com weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On Abortion:
Sell contraceptives over-the-counter to avoid Hobby Lobby
Gillespie advocated for over-the-counter sale of contraception: Speaking about the Hobby Lobby case involving employer-sponsored contraception,
Gillespie said he thinks the issue can be skirted if women are just allowed to buy birth-control medication on their own without a prescription--a position that Colorado GOP Senate candidate Cory Gardner also staked out recently.
Source: Politico.com weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Maintain state same-sex marriage ban, but leave it to states
Gillespie reiterated his personal opposition to same-sex marriage, but he said it is a state issue: "I respect and love people for who they are," the Republican said. "I believe marriage is between one man and one woman. But I also believe that
as a senator, it's not my role to legislate on that." Pressed, he said he would vote no if a statewide referendum came up to repeal the state's ban on same-sex marriage.Warner switched his position to endorse gay marriage in March 2013.
Source: Politico.com weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On Energy & Oil:
Sea levels are rising, but it's debatable what causes it
Ed Gillespie said he thinks there is enough evidence to support climate change after being pressed on the issue during a debate with incumbent Sen. Mark Warner.Warner asked Gillespie about his views on global warming: "I'd love to take my opponent to
Norfolk where seas are rising so much that the Navy is spending tens of millions a year just to raise the barriers."
Gillespie dodged Warner's question at first, instead tying Warner to Obama's signature climate rule, which mandates states cut carbon
pollution from existing power plants 30% by 2030 from 2005 levels.
When pressed again, Gillespie said he thinks there is evidence to support it: "I believe there is ample scientific evidence that contributes to climate change but I'm not entirely
dismissive of those who have a different point of view. Norfolk is dealing with rising sea levels but people can debate what contributes to that." Still, Gillespie said he thinks the administration's new carbon pollution rules "go too far."
Source: The Hill weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On Free Trade:
Opposes the Export-Import Bank
Gillespie cited opposition to the Export-Import Bank as evidence of his independence.Warner noted that the Republican-leaning National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce both support renewing the
Export-Import Bank. "It supports American businesses in a global economy, giving them a financial backstop," he said.
Gillespie noted that he understands the arguments for the bank. "I have a lot of friends who support the Export-Import bank, believe me," he said. "I think it's an area where we can get some savings.
I know it's hard to stand up to the Chamber of Commerce [and] the National Association of Manufacturers," Gillespie added, but that's the job of a senator."
Source: Politico.com weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On Immigration:
Send migrant kids back to parents in Central America
Both men agreed that migrant children should be sent back to Central America: Gillespie declined to take a position on the bill introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), which would prohibit any further expansion of Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals, a program that shields some young undocumented immigrants from deportation. "I have not seen the bill," said Gillespie. "I haven't seen Sen. Cruz's bill, but I think President Obama overreached, and we're seeing the consequences today.
The compassionate response is to make clear, 'Don't keep doing this, don't keep sending these children here, because they are not going to be afforded American citizenship,'" he added. "The most compassionate thing we can do is for them to return to
their parents."Warner emphasized the need to speed up the processing of these children, but he said "many of these children will be sent home. That process will result in some of those kids going back, but there ought to be a process," he said.
Source: Politico.com weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On War & Peace:
Keep troops in Afghanistan; military on table with Iran
There was general agreement on foreign policy: Both Warner and Gillespie agreed that the U.S. should never take military action off the table against Iran, and that Israel is America's closest ally in the Middle East.
On keeping troops in Afghanistan, [the debate moderator] asked whether Gillespie is closer to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) or Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
He did not directly answer, but he sounded a lot closer to the McCain view in arguing that troops should be there "as long as they're serving our national security interests."
Warner said he thinks Colin Powell was right when he said "you break it, you own it."
"Pottery Barn," Gillespie interjected.
Source: Politico.com weblog on 2014 Virginia Senate debate
Jul 26, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Increase share of African-American vote in midterm elections
Gillespie, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, said: "We have to acknowledge the historic nature of [the election of] President Obama," especially for the African-American community, he said. But, Gillespie noted, going forward,
Obama's "not going to be at the top of the ticket. That gives us the opportunity to make some headway."He reminded the audience that for a time in the early 2000s, the GOP "increased its share of the black vote" slightly, though "it's kind of pathetic
to be bragging" about going from 9% to 11% support. In the past two elections, however, the GOP has floundered with minority voters. "I think we can increase our share of the African-American vote in the midterm elections.
I believe we definitely can, and certainly in the next presidential election," the Senate candidate said. "And we've got to."
Source: Politico.com coverage of CPAC and 2014 Virginia Senate race
Mar 6, 2014
On Principles & Values:
Don't let the Left fill the vacuum of minority voters
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie, who is running for Senate in Virginia, appealed to his party to reach out to minorities and other groups instead of letting the left "fill that vacuum." Gillespie, speaking at the Conservative
Political Action Conference, is running against popular Democratic Sen. Mark Warner in a state that has grown more diverse--and increasingly friendly to Democrats.The Republican argued that it was important for his party to "be there" in communities
that have trended away from the GOP, noting that candidates don't need to speak Spanish to go on the Univision or Telemundo television networks. He also mentioned his own efforts to offer campaign videos in other languages. "We certainly should not
cede those audiences to the left," Gillespie said of groups that don't typically vote for Republicans, including many minorities. The left will "fill that vacuum, and we cannot allow that vacuum to occur."
Source: Politico.com coverage of CPAC and 2014 Virginia Senate race
Mar 6, 2014
On Civil Rights:
OpEd: Lobbied for company that paid women 39% less than men
Did you, Virginia, know that Acme, a corporation that handed Ed Gillespie $3 million to lobby in Washington, has received over 50 warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency? Do you, Virginia, realize that
Acme, the infamous corporation that made Ed Gillespie a millionaire, paid women 39% less than men? Well, the jobs that Acme haven't already outsourced to China. Ed Gillespie: betting against America--and women.
Source: The Federalist on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 16, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Marriage is the legal union of one man and one woman
As RNC chairman, Gillespie was a full-throated supporter of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He criticized Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) for not voting for the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act and told African American pastors that
the Republican Party believes marriage "is the legal union of one man and one woman," so the nation "must pursue whatever policy is necessary to protect this institution, including a Federal Marriage Amendment to the United States Constitution."
He endorsed using marriage as a campaign issue in 2012 and observed in 2013, "I don't think you would ever see the Republican Party platform say we're in favor of same sex marriage."Still, Gillespie has said that it is unfair to call the GOP
anti-LGBT because while most Republicans support marriage inequality, many "are also for the benefits of marriage in the legal system that are afforded protections like, for example, hospital visitation rights or survivorship benefits."
Source: ThinkProgress.org on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 16, 2014
On Education:
We spend $12 on safe sex ed for every $1 on abstinence
During the Bush years, Gillespie supported the White House's abstinence-only approach to sexual education. Complaining that "government spends $12 on safe sex and contraceptives for every $1 spent on abstinence," he said that
Bush was "working to see that they not only reauthorize abstinence programs, but that more funding be made available for these very necessary programs."
Source: ThinkProgress.org on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 16, 2014
On Environment:
OpEd: Lobbied for company that received 50 EPA warnings
Did you, Virginia, know that Acme, a corporation that handed Ed Gillespie $3 million to lobby in Washington, has received over 50 warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency? Do you, Virginia, realize that
Acme, the infamous corporation that made Ed Gillespie a millionaire, paid women 39% less than men? Well, the jobs that Acme haven't already outsourced to China. Ed Gillespie: betting against America--and women.
Source: The Federalist on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 16, 2014
On Abortion:
Opposes abortion
Even with all his experience in politics, serving as a congressional aide and a counselor to President George W. Bush, Gillespie has never been a candidate.
He will embark on a campaign when, for the first time since 1969, Virginia Republicans hold no statewide office, and voters know far less about him than about Sen. Warner.
Gillespie, who opposes abortion rights and is conservative on most other issues, is running on the belief that he can unite the party in a way that did not happen last year.
He has been reaching out to some of Virginia's conservative activists since Election Day, sounding them out and asking for their support.
Source: New York Times on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 9, 2014
On Health Care:
Benefits from GOP resistance to the new health law
Gillespie begins the race as a pronounced underdog. Sen. Warner, a former governor now in his first Senate term, is the most popular politician in Virginia.
But Republicans in the state believe that, because of resistance to the new health law and President Obama's declining popularity, they have an opportunity to at least make the race competitive.
Source: New York Times on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 9, 2014
On Immigration:
Unapologetic supporter of comprehensive immigration overhaul
Before he can try to unseat the incumbent, Gillespie first has to overcome any suspicions among conservatives about his long history as a lobbyist, though not in the past 6 years, and his stance as an unapologetic supporter of a comprehensive immigration
overhaul. "Anybody associated with the national Republican hierarchy is a little bit suspect," one pundit said. "Sometimes that's fair, sometimes not. He's going to have to prove he's not the same as the rest of the Washington GOP establishment."
Source: New York Times on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 9, 2014
On Tax Reform:
Believes in conservative ideas of lower taxes
Gillespie believes in things, like conservative ideas of lower taxes and less regulation. These may sound bland, but Ed adds a personal perspective.
Having grown up in a working-class family, he believes that the key to restored prosperity lies in a renewed middle class, one that relies on its own work ethic and a business-friendly government, not an expansion of a welfare state.
He is, I imagine, rather angry with what he sees as liberals' condescension to the
middle class and what he views as their assumption that only government can solve their problems
Source: Washington Post on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Dec 9, 2013
On War & Peace:
As Bush spokesperson, defended Iraqi surge & al Qaeda link
Another new arrival in the West Wing set up a rapid-response PR unit hard-wired into General David Petraeus' shop. Ed Gillespie, the new presidential counselor, organized daily conference calls between Washington and the military in Baghdad to map out
ways of selling the surge.From the start of the Bush plan, the White House communications office had been blitzing an e-mail list of as many as 5,000 journalists and others with talking points or rebuttals of criticism, in various
categories--"Myths/Facts" or "Setting the Record Straight" to take issue with negative news articles, and "In Case You Missed It" to distribute positive articles or speeches.
Gillespie arranged several presidential speeches to make strategic arguments,
such as comparing Iraq to Vietnam or warning of Iranian interference. When critics assailed Bush for overstating ties between al-Qaeda and the group called al-Qaeda in Iraq, Gillespie organized a Bush speech to make his case.
Source: Washington Post on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Sep 8, 2007
On Principles & Values:
Planned political reporting career at Catholic U. of America
Although he found enjoyment in politics at an early age, the idea of working in that field was a reach much further than he was able to embrace: "I was fascinated by politics. I went to college [at the Catholic University of America] to be a reporter and
to cover politics. Coming from a town like Browns Mills, my brothers, sisters and I are the first generation of Gillespies to ever attend college. My parents never went," says the Chairman. "My father was an immigrant from Ireland, and Washington DC
might as well have been Athens, Greece. It seemed so far away. But I thought I could go there and be a newspaper reporter. I could cover politics. I never dreamed that I could be in politics.""[My childhood] was fairly idyllic, playing a lot of
sandlot baseball. I had a dog and he & I would go out on long treks. It was a small town childhood," says Gillespie. "New Jersey is like two different states. There's the 201 [area code] state and the 609 state. I grew up in the 609 state.
Source: South Jersey Magazine on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 1, 2005
On Principles & Values:
Raised a Democrat; first job with Democrat; switched to GOP
While attending Catholic University, Gillespie worked several jobs to help support his education; at one of these positions--a Senate parking lot attendant on Capitol Hill, says Gillespie, "One of the people I parked cars with was an intern in a
congressional office and he told me of another opening in that congressional office, and I ended up interning there. That eventually led to a job and I was able to work my way up the political ladder from there."While he recalls being drawn to the
Republican Party from a young age, the Senator he first served under was a Democrat. Gillespie's official party allegiance didn't change until his boss suddenly decided to switch parties in 1984.
"As an Irish-Catholic kid from NJ, my roots were
Democratic. My parents' families were very strongly Democrat. But like so many Irish-Catholic Democrats, I found myself relating more to Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party, which was more staunchly anti-communist and more about opportunity."
Source: South Jersey Magazine on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jan 1, 2005
On Corporations:
Lobbied to restrict class action lawsuits on corporate fraud
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce paid Gillespie's lobbying firm, Quinn-Gillespie, $860,000 to lobby for the so-called Class Action Fairness Act, which would make it easier for companies to
prevail in class action lawsuits accusing them of defrauding customers. All told, the firm has collected at least $1.12 million to lobby for this anti-consumer bill
Source: Public Citizen Congress Watch on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jun 1, 2003
On Energy & Oil:
Democrats' energy policy is an attack on our quality of life
DaimlerChrysler paid more than $1 million to Gillespie's lobbying firm, Quinn-Gillespie, which lobbied heavily against any increase in fuel-efficiency standards for gas-guzzling light trucks and SUVs.
Gillespie declared, "The Democrats' approach to energy policy is an attack on our quality of life."
Source: Public Citizen Congress Watch on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jun 1, 2003
On Free Trade:
Lobbied to remove tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber
The British Columbia Lumber Trade Council paid Gillespie's lobbying firm, Quinn-Gillespie,
$1.78 million on lobbying in a failed effort to remove U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.
Source: Public Citizen Congress Watch on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jun 1, 2003
On Government Reform:
Paid $27M in lobbying fees in early 2000s
Since its founding by Gillespie and former Clinton White House counsel Jack Quinn in 2000, the firm Quinn-Gillespie's has collected $27.4 million in lobbying fees, including: - Enron, $700,000
-
Stand Up for Steel, $760,000
- USEC Inc. (uranium production), $957,000
- Tyson Foods, $440,000
- Viacom, $720,000
- British Columbia Lumber Trade Council, $1.78 million
-
SBC Communications, $1.24 million
- DirecTV, $1.24 million
- Network Advertising Initiative, $920,000
- Microsoft, $820,000
-
PricewaterhouseCoopers, $1.35 million
- DaimlerChrysler, more than $1 million
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $860,000
Source: Public Citizen Congress Watch on 2014 Virginia Senate race
Jun 1, 2003
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018