Former Virginia Gov. Baliles endorses John Kerry

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http://newsdirectory.com/go/?f=&r=va&u=www.pilotonline.com

By BOB LEWIS, Associated Press

NORFOLK — Former Gov. Gerald Baliles is endorsing Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid heading into Tuesday's Virginia Democratic primary, Kerry's campaign said.

Baliles was governor from 1986 to 1990. He announced his endorsement Wednesday, said Larry Framme, chairman of Kerry's campaign in Virginia.

Baliles becomes the first of Virginia's Democratic former chief executives to take sides in the Democratic nomination contest.

Gov. Mark R. Warner, also a Democrat, has not said whom he will support and likely won't for several days, according to his press secretary, Ellen Qualls.

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1. I remember going to a fundraiser for Baliles when he was running for

Gov - he was considered quite an up and comer in the party. Wow do I feel old - that must have been 1985...

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2. I had forgotten him until I saw his name again

God, I was such a hippie then. :hippie:

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3. don't hate me

but I was fresh out of school and a tad bit of a preppie at the time.

At the same event I also met Douglas Wilder who was running for Lt. Gov. And this really good looking guy - who was working pretty high up on the campaign.... who I think just got elected to be governor...

Baliles was a good governor. Nice endorsement, though I have been out of the state for a long time and I don't know how much political capital he still carries.

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4. I got married and had to get a decent job right about then

Cut the hair, shaved. I'm in Maryland though. Virginia was a world away.

I'm waiting to see what Gov. Warner does with his endorsement. He started to say that he'd made up his mind and then backed off.