January 9,
2007
Former Va. Gov.
Gilmore Sets Up
Exploratory
Presidential
Campaign
RICHMOND, Va.
(AP) -- Former
Virginia
Governor Jim
Gilmore has set
up an
exploratory
presidential
campaign for
2008. Gilmore's
aide, Matt
Williams, says
the Republican
filed papers
today with the
Federal Election
Commission in
Washington to
form the Jim
Gilmore for
President
Exploratory
Committee.
Williams said
Gilmore was in a
meeting and not
immediately
available for
comment.
Gilmore, who's
57, said in
interviews last
month that he
didn't see a
true
conservative
running for
president, and
said he would
assess his own
chances for a
presidential
run. Gilmore was
elected governor
in 1997 by
promising to cut
Virginia's
property tax
that local
governments levy
on personal cars
and pickup
trucks.
He becomes the
sixth Republican
to form an
exploratory
committee for
2008 after
former
Massachusetts
Governor Mitt
Romney, Arizona
Senator John
McCain, former
New York Mayor
Rudolph
Giuliani, former
Wisconsin
Governor Tommy
Thompson and
Senator Sam
Brownback of
Kansas.
January 9,
2007
Gilmore Makes it
Official: Former
Virginia
Governor Files a
Presidential
Exploratory
Committee
ALEXANDRIA, Va.
-- Former
Virginia
Governor Jim
Gilmore made it
official today
by filing the
necessary
paperwork with
the Federal
Election
Commission (FEC)
to form an
exploratory
committee to
explore a
potential
candidacy for
President of the
United States.
"Today, I filed
the papers
necessary to
explore a
candidacy for
President
because I
believe that
this nation
needs
conservative
leadership.
Alone among
those
considering a
candidacy for
the Republican
nomination, I
have a record of
real leadership
as a tax cutter
and job creator,
as a leader on
national
security issues,
and as a
national leader
in our party. I
intend to move
quickly to form
a national
campaign team
and to make my
decision on
moving to a
formal
candidacy,"
Gilmore said.
Governor Gilmore
will soon
announce his
committee’s
leadership
structure, which
will include
several
prominent
Republicans with
experience in
presidential
campaigns.
Jim Gilmore was
the governor of
Virginia when
the Pentagon was
attacked on
Sept. 11, 2001.
A former Army
counter-intelligence
agent, he
chaired the
Congressional
"Gilmore
Commission" from
1999 to 2003 to
assess America's
terrorism
response
capabilities.
Mr. Gilmore is
now serving as
Chairman of the
National Council
on Readiness and
Preparedness, a
non-profit
community-based
grassroots
organization to
strengthen
homeland
security and
provide forums
to develop a
national
strategy that
includes the
local first
responders,
small and large
business, and
the leaders of
many communities
throughout
America. A
former Chairman
of the
Republican
National
Committee and
Republican
Governors
Association, he
is currently a
partner at the
Washington
office of Kelley
Drye Collier
Shannon, where
he chairs the
Homeland
Security
Practice Group. |