"Governor's race too close to call"-Danville Register and Bee

[rogue emissary]

http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782811754&path=

Governor's race too close to call
Jay Warren
Danville Register and Bee
Thursday, May 19, 2005

. . . Back in March our exclusive, scientific tracking poll, conducted by SurveyUSA, found Republican Jerry Kilgore leading Democrat Kaine by 10 points... 46% to 36%.

At the time most analysts said the reason was Kilgore's higher name identification. So... Kaine's TV ads aimed to boost his name i-d.

New numbers are in from our tracking poll and they show a race that is now too close to call. Jerry Kilgore dropped two points to 44%. Kaine moved up six points to 40%. That difference is within the poll's margin of error. Independent candidate Russ Potts came in a distant third with 5%... while 11% of Virginians are still undecided on the race.

One more interesting note… as for Southwest Virginia... the real battleground of this year's race... the candidates are tied at 42%. Back in March Kilgore led in our region... 50%-percent to 28%.

[ernstbass]

1. I think Kaine's tv ads are playing well

in southwest VA. The area is pleased with Mark Warner, which should help.

[rogue emissary]

2. "That's good to read."

NOVA media hardly ever covers SW Virginia, and they also rarely cover VA politics.

[Catchawave]

3. I just saw an ad slamming Kaine....

by some PAC, I didn't catch the name, but it was pretty nasty. The Norfolk market is saturated with Kilgore ads now, haven't seen one by the Kaine Kamp yet.

[rogue emissary]

4. "It's by the same consultant group that did the Swift Boat liars ads."

From the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/20/AR2005052001445.html

Kaine Camp Decries GOP Ad Tying Democrat to Tax Rise

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 21, 2005; Page B01

RICHMOND, May 20 -- The Republican Governors Association on Friday launched the first ad of the Virginia governor's race sponsored by a group from outside the state, accusing Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) of raising taxes and linking him to former presidential nominee John F. Kerry.

The 30-second commercial, made in part by the same media consultant who produced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads last year, opens with the Massachusetts senator's face repeated on a quickly moving filmstrip and an announcer saying, "Another election, another liberal promising to cut taxes." . . .

Pieper said the group spent about $300,000 on the ad, which was paid for by a new political action committee it founded called Honest Leadership for Virginia. The ad can be found at the PAC's Internet site, http://honestleadershipforvirginia.com .

Skinner disputed the characterization of Kaine as a liberal and said the RGA ad was playing fast and loose with the facts.

[Catchawave]

5. Thanks for the info.....

..with hopes Virginians are tired of the dirty politics and it will work against them.

[rogue emissary]

6. "Hopefully the dirty tricks will enrage voters and . . ."

they'll send a message to the GOP.

[redsoxdem]

7. Republican Sponsored Anti-Kaine Ad

I just saw the ad the Republicans are running against Tim Kaine. It's very effective to those who don't have time to pay a lot attention to politics, like most of the citizens of Virginia who are working and raising their children. If I didn't know myself that Kaine's property taxes increased because the value of his property increased, than I would think by watching that ad that Kaine raised taxes. That's why the Kaine campaign needs a hard hitting and immediate response to this half truth ad. The same media consultant who did this ad also was responsible for the Swift Boat ads. Those ads were effective because the Kerry campaign didn't immediately respond to them, and Kerry was falsely identified by those ads and the first impression of Kerry stuck like glue with a lot of people who didn't know him. A lack of response to this ad from the Kaine campaign might cause him to be identified as a "tax and spend liberal" something he is not. The Kaine campaign needs to learn from the mistakes of the Kerry campaign in dealing with these false ads.

[rogue emissary]

8. "Kaine's campaign sent out a press release about the ad."

I'm not sure if that'll be enough. One thing is certain, Kilgore isn't airing the ad in NOVA.



I posted too quickly. :)

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--kaine-adrebuttal0523may23,0,541790.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia


New Kaine ad rebuts pro-Kilgore GOP attack

By BOB LEWIS
Associated Press Writer

Published May 23, 2005
RICHMOND, Va. -- Tim Kaine's Democratic media team needed just a weekend to televise a rebuttal to a Republican-sponsored attack on behalf of his likely November foe in the governor's race, Jerry Kilgore.

A state political action committee funded by the Republican Governors Association aired ads late last week that juxtapose Kaine's face with that of 2004 Democratic presidential loser John Kerry and labels them both liberals. It scoffs at a claim Kaine made in his own ad to have cut Richmond property taxes when he was mayor. . . .

[ernstbass]

9. I haven't heard anything about Kaine's rebuttal

but that nasty Kilgore ad plays constantly on Roanoke stations. Kaine better come out fighting on this one because people will buy what's in the nasty ad. I hope the rebuttal ad starts playing soon. We can't afford to take anything for granted down here.