WSLS profiles Jim Gilmore

We met with former Republican Governor Jim Gilmore at the Valentine Museum, for our interview. The museum showcases Virginia’s long history, except for one glaring omission in the campaign memorabilia cabinet.

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Gov. Gilmore noticed it immediately, saying, “You know they don’t even have a Gilmore button in here.“

It didn’t take long for Gilmore to call over a museum staffer, telling her, “There aren’t a lot of Republicans in here. we need to do something about that.“

Still, the Gilmore campaign picked the museum for our profile interview for a specific reason: to highlight his roots. He grew up in Richmond and Henrico County and has made it his home for most of his life.

We also walked down the street where he first spent the first few years of his life. Gilmore pointed out the house where he lived with his parents and grandparents.
Back then, he was dreaming not of politics, but of being a concert clarinetist and he was picking up values from his parents and neighbors that lasted him a lifetime.
“These are people who had to work for a living. They had to count their money they had to make sure they didn’t over-extend themselves,“ he said. “I think those traits are what have taken me into public life. I know that you can’t be reckless with the taxpayer’s money.“
Gilmore road that message into the governor’s mansion in 2001. After stints as a Commonwealth’s Attorney and Virginia’s Attorney General, he campaigned for governor on a platform of cutting the car tax. It worked, as Gilmore won in a landslide and used that mandate to push the tax cut through the General Assembly.

“The car tax cut was a major success. It was bipartisan. We brought people together to make that happen,“ he said. And with it Gilmore boasts, “I was able to transform Virginia politics by bringing in the Republican Party into a majority for the first time in history.“

But, that majority didn’t help him. In fact, Gilmore spent most of his term feuding with Senate Republicans over where Virginia could afford the full car tax cut. Some leading Republicans even questioned his fiscal management and tactics.

Gilmore’s successor and opponent for the Senate seat, Democrat Mark Warner, has spent seven years blaming Gilmore for a $6 billion budget shortfall.

WARREN: “ IS THAT FAIR?“

GILMORE: “No, it is just a rouse to justify breaking his word and raising taxes.“

WARREN: “EVEN SOME REPUBLICANS HAVE SAID THAT YOU CAN BE VERY ONE TRACK TO THE POINT OF BEING MEAN-SPIRITED IN THE PROCESS. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM?“

GILMORE: “I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever been mean spirited. Politics is a rough ballgame if you’re going to do something for the people.“

That in a way gets to the heart of Jim Gilmore. He’s a fighter who views himself as the defender of the Average Joe.

Of his success in public life, this son of a meat cutter believes his parents would be “Very proud. I think they were surprised a regular guy could win. I think they were very proud that it was me.“

WARREN: “YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT BEING A REGULAR GUY AND I HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT MONEY AS WELL AND MARK WARNER’S WEALTH IN PARTICULAR. DO YOU ALWAYS FEEL LIKE YOU’RE FIGHTING AGAINST THAT?“

GILMORE: “Yeah, all the time… All the time because money in American politics lends credibility.“

Jim Gilmore is still fighting for credibility after three decades in public life and serving in the highest office in the Commonwealth. As we walked the street where his values were formed, that fight lingers, colored in doubt. You could hear it in his voice when he said, “The question now is can we overcome all this wealth. I’m not sure.“