Big gift gives Kilgore an edge
Republican governors' group gives nominee $1.5 million in funding
BY PAMELA STALLSMITH AND TYLER WHITLEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS Sep 13, 2005
A $1.5 million gift from the Republican Governors Association gives GOP gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore a hefty fundraising edge in the latest campaign-finance reports.
Kilgore announced the gift on the eve of his debate today with Democratic rival Timothy M. Kaine.
The RGA contribution accounts for almost half of the nearly $3.3 million that Kilgore collected between July 1 and Aug. 31, according to information provided to The Times-Dispatch and which are due to the state Board of Elections Thursday. That brings Kilgore's total raised so far to slightly more than $14 million.
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In a conference call yesterday with reporters, RGA executive director Mike Pieper called the Nov. 8 election -- only one of two gubernatorial contests this year "a very high priority for us."
The contribution underscores the stakes for the national political parties in the race for the Executive Mansion: in January, the Democratic National Committee gave Kaine $1.5 million, part of a $5 million infusion into this year's statewide races.
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http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785024459&path=!news!politics&s=1045855935264http://www.bobmcdonnell.com/content/img/f20482/Warner,%20Drake,%20McD,%20and%20Kilgore%20Singing.JPG
Kilgore on the right
Timothy Kaine