Today, ladies and gents, we choose our next Governor of Virginia. Today, we decide the course of our Commonwealth for the next four years. Folks, the act of voting may seem insignificant to you. Today, you will step in the voting booth for a matter of seconds. You will make your choices, and very soon after, you will go back to your normal lives. Those choices, however, will have consequences that reach far beyond tonight.
First of all, this election has absolutely nothing to do with Mark Warner, Jim Gilmore, George Bush, or anybody other than Jerry Kilgore and Tim Kaine. In these two candidates, voters could not have a clearer choice. We have gone to great lengths here to examine the experience, the goals and the governing philosophies of these candidates. Today, we must choose which is the better to lead us forward.
In Tim Kaine, the Democrats have nominated the most liberal candidate for Governor in the history of our Commonwealth. Tim Kaine has spent a lifetime fighting against the death penalty, in favor of gun control, in favor of abortion rights, and a for wide range of other liberal causes. Tim Kaine has said before that he is proud of being a liberal. Unfortunately, in this campaign, Tim Kaine has run away from his true record and sought to deceive the voters of Virginia. Tim Kaine has taken every conceivable position on every conceivable issue in this campaign. He has said one thing in Abingdon and something else entirely in Arlington. In short, the only position that Tim Kaine has stood firmly on this year is that he should be elected. That, folks, just doesn't cut it.
In Jerry Kilgore we know what we are getting. Unlike his opponent, Jerry Kilgore was born, bred and educated in the Commonwealth. Jerry Kilgore has spent his entire life fighting for and protecting the people of Virginia. More importantly, he has stayed true and consistent in his deep-rooted Virginia values. Jerry Kilgore knows the people of Virginia, he understands their character and he trusts them. If elected, Jerry Kilgore will get to work from Day 1 to create the proactive solutions to Virginia's problems in transportation, education, taxes, and a host of other issues that affect us day to day. We have already seen the strength of Jerry's convictions and the firmness of his dedication to our state during his term as Attorney General. As Governor, Jerry Kilgore would be a true representative of the people and a tireless fighter for progress, principle, and personal responsibility.
Over the course of the next four years, there will undoubtedly be a vast array of decisions that the Governor will have to make on our behalf. While some of these decisions will be on big issues like those discussed in this campaign, the vast majority of them will not be. However, it is those small decisions that will end up having the greatest impact on our lives.
What you must ask yourself is this, "Who do I want making those daily decisions of governance?" Do you want a candidate who stands for more government, higher taxes, eliminating the death penalty, coddling illegal aliens, expanding the rights of abortion and gay marriage, and reducing the rights of gun owners? If so, please vote for Tim Kaine. Or do you want the candidate who stands firm for smaller, more efficient government, lowering the tax burden for average Virginians, giving criminals the just punishments they have earned, fighting illegal immigration, defending our traditional family values and upholding our Constitutional rights? If so, please vote for Jerry Kilgore.
Quite frankly, the Harvard-educated liberal Tim Kaine does not represent the vast majority of Virginians. He is well out of the mainstream and to elect him as Governor would to be to entrust the fate of our Commonwealth for the next four years to his radical liberal ideology. Doing so would be a great step backwards for our Commonwealth. Jerry Kilgore is one of our own. His views are smack-dab in the mainstream of most Virginians. He cares about this state and its people. Most importantly, we will not have to worry about each and every decision Jerry Kilgore would make as Governor, because we would know that his heart and mind are ruled by those ideals and values that make Virginia the greatest state in our nation.
In closing, I encourage you to go out and vote today. I encourage you, for the good of this fair state, to cast your votes for Jerry Kilgore for Governor, Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor, Bob McDonnell for Attorney General, and your Republican candidate for the House of Delegates. Let's go win this thing.
