Kilgore's Valley Voters
Turkeys, pumpkins, pickup trucks and Jerry Kilgore.
In a nutshell, that describes Republican Jerry Kilgore's swing through Harrisonburg late last week as he sought to lock up the valley for November's election.
Kilgore is popular west of the Shenandoahs. In his bid for attorney general four years ago, he got almost 80 percent of the vote there, even as Mark Warner was winning the state's top job easily. Kilgore, who is from a lot farther down I-81, somehow connects with folks.
It's a bit weird, actually.
Editor: Jonathan Forsythe / washingtonpost.com, Reporter: Mike Shear / The Post
To look at him, Kilgore's not exactly a farmer. He's got the look of a guy who's lived in the comforts of suburbia for more than a decade. He pretty much moved to Richmond 11 years ago and has never looked back. (Full disclosure: I'm no country boy either. But then, I'm not looking for votes.)
Still, put the cowboy boots on, as Kilgore did on Friday, and he actually seems right at home on the farm. He grimaces when someone talks about chewin' tobacco, and he's always on the lookout for a Dairy Queen. But he also jumps into the back of a pickup truck like a guy who's seen his share of them.
Like most politicians -- including his chief rival, Democrat Tim Kaine -- Kilgore's got campaigning stamina that puts most people to shame. He can shake a hand at a farm at 9 a.m. and still be shaking hands at the Demolition Derby 12 hours later.
He claims to like the county fair. On Friday, he gave a brief speech to the farmers bidding on livestock. (He came after the sheep and before the hogs.)
But he's also a creature of the electronic age. He carries around a Blackberry and checks it frequently -- a lifeline to the modern civilization that somehow seems left behind as he travels the gravel roads of the state's rural areas.
The election won't be won entirely in areas like this, of course. Kilgore and Kaine will have to spend a lot of time in urban and suburban areas, too. But for the moment, both campaigns are spending time in places like Jess's Lunch, a noontime institution in Harrisonburg.
By Michael Shear |
August 19, 2005; 11:03 PM ET
| Category:
Jerry Kilgore
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Posted by: Will Vehrs | August 22, 2005 03:20 PM
Shear wrote the 'On the Campaign' video featuring Kilgore was a bit weird.
Why did you write that?
Posted by: the blue dog | August 23, 2005 07:06 AM
Why does Jerry Kilgore hate puppies so much?
Posted by: Sarah Jones | August 23, 2005 03:26 PM
Sarah, Jerry Kilgore doesn't hate puppies, he's just not crazy about Russ Potts lapdogs.
Posted by: Tiberius | August 24, 2005 07:37 AM
Jerry Kilgore might jump in the back of a pickup truck "like a guy who's seen his share of them."
But, Tim Kaine drives a pickup truck -- and has for years.
Posted by: Scottsville for Kaine | August 26, 2005 10:55 PM
Does it strike anyone as odd that Kilgore represents the party that hates gays but on camera he has so many queer mannerisms himself?
Posted by: GAYDAR ALERT | August 27, 2005 02:30 PM
yeah - but at least he tries to compensate for being a girlie man by pushing for more executions.
Posted by: tanker | August 27, 2005 02:33 PM
My only questions is, why at the end did the author say "both campaigns are spending time in places like Jess'?"
Where was Kaine when Kilgore was at Jess'?
Posted by: gophokie | August 30, 2005 07:58 PM
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A campaign glimpse like this is a welcome break from Potts bandwagon traffic reports.