State of Virginia Archives: on Principles & Values

Ed Gillespie: 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

Bob McDonnell: Indicted on corruption charges days after leaving office

The indictments of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, reveal new details about requests for financial help from a prominent businessman while the offering to help promote the company's new product. Some excerpts:

Apr. 2011: Maureen asked Star Scientific's CEO Jonnie Williams to take her on a shopping trip to buy a designer dress, promising to get Williams seated next to McDonnell at an upcoming political event. Williams spent over $18,000.
May 2: Maureen arranged a private meeting at the governor's mansion for Williams, during which she discussed "severe financial difficulties." She asked Williams for a $50,000 loan and said she could assist Star Scientific.
June: Receiving checks from Williams and promoting his company
July: Free vacation and Ferrari loan; asking state officials to help company with research trials
Aug. 2011: Rolex, free golf and a product launch
Feb. 2012: Big loans to the McDonnells and a push for state research.

Source: Washington Post: 2014 Virginia Senate & Gubernatorial race Jan 21, 2014

Tim Kaine: Smash-mouth partisanship is yesterday's politics

KAINE: Many in the room who have been in Virginia politics for a while remember Gov. Allen's famous quote when he was governor: "My job is to knock Democrats' soft teeth down their whining throats." George, as a governor, called General Assembly members "dinosaurs, monarchical elitists." He calls federal employees sanctimonious social engineers. That is yesterday's politics. We're not going to solve our problems if we continue down that path of smash mouth, consider the other side rather than the opponent. We got to compete against the world to win.

Q: [To Allen]: Was your smashing teeth remark not literal?

ALLEN: It is an example of where sports analogies are not appropriate, and that was a mistake on my part for it. [My campaigns] are not running down the others, there's contrasts. That is what we have in competitive representative democracy, contrasting or competing ideas.

Source: CNN State of the Union on 2012 Virginia Senate debate Jul 22, 2012

Tim Kaine: Served as a missionary in Honduras

ALLEN: Tim was the hand-picked chairman of the Democratic National Committee by President Obama, and he's, in effect, the hand-picked senator and recruited to run for the Senate.

KAINE: I am highly offended at that. He cannot help himself.

ALLEN: I didn't interrupt you.

KAINE: I have had a career of serving people. I was a missionary in Honduras. I was a civil rights lawyer for 17 years. I was a city councilman, mayor, lieutenant governor, governor. His suggestion that I'm running for office just because somebody else asked me to, I've not lived my life that way. I live my entire life to serve other people. And so his notion, oh, you're just handpicked to run the Senate race, come on. I had to give up a job and a salary and health care benefits to run for the U.S. Senate. And I'm doing it because the nation needs people who know how to find common ground moving forward.

Source: CNN State of the Union on 2012 Virginia Senate debate Jul 22, 2012

Jamie Radtke: Career politicians are part of the problem

Radtke went on the offensive from the outset, calling Allen "part of the problem" of out-of-control federal spending. Radtke kept up the drumbeat through her closing statement, when she lumped Allen in with the "career politicians" she said are destroying the country. "We need a new generation of conservative and courageous leadership that can inspire young people to believe in the conservative message again," she said. Source: The Virginian-Pilot on 2012 Virginia Senate debate May 12, 2012

Bob McDonnell: Create a Commonwealth of Opportunity for all Virginians

Together we face challenges, and the choices we make this session will come after much reflection and debate. "With challenge comes opportunity." If that is true--we have lots of opportunity before us. I pledge to work with you to create "A Commonwealth of Opportunity" for all Virginians.

I want to see opportunity flourishing in the successful start-up of a small business in Norfolk. in the farmer able to keep working his family's land. in the first-time home buyer receiving her new keys.

Source: Virginia 2010 State of the State Address Jan 18, 2010

Ed Gillespie: 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

Ed Gillespie: 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

The above quotations are from Commonwealth of Virginia Politicians: Archives. Click here for definitions & background information on Principles & Values. Click here for other issues (main summary page).
*2020 Presidential contenders on Principles & Values:*
	*Democrats running for President:* Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO) V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE) Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC) Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT) Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ) Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX) Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI) Rep.John Delaney (D-MD) Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA) Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT) CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA) Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Marianne Williamson (D-CA) CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY) *2020 Third Party Candidates:* Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI) CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV) Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI) Howie Hawkins (G-NY) ~~Gov.Gary Johnson~~(L-NM) ~~Howard Schultz~~(I-WA) Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)	*Republicans running for President:* ~~Sen.Ted Cruz~~(R-TX) ~~Gov.Larry Hogan~~ (R-MD) ~~Gov.John Kasich~~(R-OH) V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) ~~Gov.Mark Sanford~~ (R-SC) Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY) Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL) Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY) *2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:* Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA) Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK) Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA) Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO) Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA) Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL) Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA) Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX) Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA) Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA) Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Oct 14, 2021