Katrina Injected Into Va. Race

But she said the "embarrassingly bad managerial debacle" in responding to the hurricane is likely to encourage an even greater desire on the part of voters for a skilled manager at the helm of state, local and federal government.

"We are in a moment in time, where there are people out there in corporate America who are really good managers," Kellerman said. "The idea that our politicians are not part of that larger group is particularly distressing."

At a mid-September debate between Kaine and Kilgore in Fairfax County, the first question from moderator Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," was aimed at eliciting specifics from the candidates.

"As governor, what would be your precise evacuation plan for Northern Virginia?" Russert asked. "And please take into mind the number of people who live below the poverty line and the number of households that do not have automobiles that live in this area."

Neither candidate answered Russert, choosing instead to talk generally about leadership qualities.

"I understand how to respond to an emergency," Kilgore said. "We'll pre-position assets, making sure that the National Guard, food and water is in place before the storm gets there. We'll make sure that we enter a state of emergency prior to the storm hitting so that we'll be prepared."

Kaine responded that a governor has to be "willing to act decisively. I was a mayor dealing with hurricanes, the Y2K program. I had to deal with the effect of natural disaster on our city."

Kaine and Kilgore pledged a greater investment in roads and transit that could help ease an evacuation but have not said specifically how they would finance those projects. Potts has called for increasing taxes by up to $2 billion a year to pay for new transportation projects.