RICHMOND, Feb. 25 -- Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester) announced Friday that he is running for Virginia governor as an "independent Republican" and will mount a populist, pro-investment campaign against the two major party candidates.
Potts, a senator for 14 years, said that he remains faithful to the principles of his party but that the GOP's rightward drift has put it out of line with the thinking of most Virginians.
"I believe that Virginia is a moderate, middle-of-the-road state. That's where I am," said Potts (R-Winchester).
(Steve Helber -- AP)
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"I believe that Virginia is a moderate, middle-of-the-road state," said Potts, 65. "That's where I am."
He vowed to turn back one of the most popular political promises in recent Virginia history by allowing local governments to reinstate the car tax. He said the rollback of the tax has been a "fiasco" that has starved the state of millions of dollars needed for education, health care and public safety.
"I'd put it back where it was before Jim Gilmore was governor," he said. "That is a dead horse."
He also promised to advance a plan to modernize an "antique 1930 Model T" transportation network and said he would not shy from talking about how to pay for it, including possible taxes.
The announcement prompted a flurry of counterclaims from the Democratic and Republican parties, each saying that a Potts candidacy would pull votes from their opponent and hand them victory.
In a statement, former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore, the leading Republican candidate for governor, said the party is united behind him.
"Today the liberal, high-tax lobby has a second candidate to choose from, leaving Tim Kaine and Russ Potts to fight over the votes of people who hold the minority opinion in Virginia," Kilgore said in a statement.
Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the likely Democratic nominee, countered that Potts's entry will draw votes from longtime Republicans who feel uncomfortable about voting for Kilgore.
"What the Potts candidacy says is there is discord within the Republican Party, there is concern about Kilgore's leadership," he said. "It bolsters my message. It emphasizes the discord in the party."
Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) said he supports Kaine as his successor, but he called Potts a friend who will "keep the pot stirred" in the campaign. "One would be a fool to underestimate Russ Potts," Warner said.
Robert D. Holsworth, a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the impact of the Potts campaign is unclear. "A lot of it depends on how much money he's able to raise early on and if he's able to attract some marquee support," he said.
Potts promised a gutsy campaign. "Never forget: I'm in this race to win," he said at a morning news conference in the capital's historic old Senate chamber. "Once you're in the game, anything can happen."
