Energy, taxes, & trust dominate Homestead debate

Update from Jim Gilmore for Senate campaign about Saturday's debate at the Homestead....

Energy, taxes dominate first debate ... The News Leader:
HOT SPRINGS — Who do you trust, Virginia? That was the central theme Saturday as former Virginia governors Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner squared off in their first senatorial debate as they battle to succeed retiring Republican Sen. John Warner. Energy policy and taxes dominated the hour-long debate at the Homestead resort. Gilmore, the Republican candidate, repeatedly touted his plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and hammered Warner over tax increases during his term as governor, while Warner emphasized his opposition to drilling in ANWR and attacked Gilmore for his "Drill Now, Drill Here" approach.

"We have to have a United States that has a decisive energy policy," Gilmore said, which, he added, includes more domestic oil production by drilling in ANWR and starting increased offshore oil exploration.

Read more from The News Leader.

Who do you trust? Jim Gilmore kept his promise to reduce taxes. Mark Warner promised to not raise taxes and then broke his word. See Mark Warner's 2001 promise here.

Gilmore, Warner clash over tax plans, energy ... The Washington Times
Mr. Gilmore cited publicly available letters from 2004 from Virginia Secretary of Finance John M. Bennett showing that state revenues were on the increase prior to passage of Mr. Warner's landmark tax package - an initiative that contradicted Mr. Warner's campaign pledge. He also accused Mr. Warner of changing his stance on drilling to help reduce gas prices, saying the Democrat has only recently included offshore oil exploration in his energy plan.

Read more from The Washington Times.

Just like 2001, Mark Warner is changing his positions. See footage of Mark Warner shifting positions here. On the flip side, Jim Gilmore is a straight forward leader who does what he says he is going to do.

Gilmore, Warner mix it up at debate ... The Daily Press
Gilmore sought to pin down his opponent on offshore drilling, where the two men have fundamentally different views. Given voter outrage over high gas prices, it has emerged as the top policy issue and will likely continue to grab headlines as the campaign heads to the fall. Gilmore favors drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off the U.S. coast. He says increased domestic oil production is the quickest route to reducing the cost of gas because it will send a message to oil markets that the U.S. is serious about energy independence. Warner is against drilling in the Arctic because Congress set aside that area as a refuge and because of security concerns over the required pipeline. He favors lifting the federal moratorium on offshore drilling and allowing individual states to decide the matter. Gilmore said the Democrat's position on offshore drilling was "all fuzzed up."

Read more from the Daily Press.

Round 1: Gilmore scores one on Warner at Homestead debate ... SWAC Girl
Gilmore, in my opinion, hit the ball out of the park when he reiterated the 2004 tax issue. Gilmore said that in 2004 Warner pushed for a $4 billion tax increase that he had told Virginians he would not ask for and, while the issue was being debated in the General Assembly, his own secretary of finance notified him that state revenues were growing at an amazing rate ... 22.5% in March and another 22.5% in April ... but Warner kept that information to himself and did not tell the people of Virginia.

Read more of SWAC Girl's debate coverage here.

Jim Gilmore is a candidate you can trust to keep his promises to the people of Virginia. Mark Warner has a history of making promises and breaking them once elected. Let's elect a prinicpled leader who does what he says he is going to do.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate