In Last Face-Off, Candidates Drive Home Familiar Points

Kilgore's aides have made it clear that they intend to spend the final month painting Kaine as a liberal on guns, abortion, taxes and the death penalty. Kaine's aides said they will continue to associate their candidate with Warner and attack Kilgore's ability to lead.

Both candidates used the debate to highlight those themes.

On the death penalty, for example, Sabato asked the candidates about the slaying of Richmond college student Taylor Marie Behl. Kilgore called the death of Behl, who lived in Vienna, "a heinous crime that deserves our ultimate penalty" and said Kaine "has spent a lifetime of activism campaigning against the death penalty."

Kaine said that as a Catholic, he opposes the death penalty but would "put his hand on a Bible" and enforce his oath of office.

Kaine repeatedly mentioned Virginia's ranking by Governing magazine as "the best-managed state in the nation" and accused Kilgore of opposing the tax compromise last year that ended the state's long budget stalemate.

"We made a hard decision to reform our tax code," Kaine said. "My opponent stood against us every step of the way as we tried to save our bond rating and invest in our schoolchildren."

Both pledged to get major transportation projects underway. Kilgore vowed to phase out the car tax; Kaine said he and Warner had already tried to do that. Kaine promised that at least 50 percent of his ads during the next month will be positive, though in Richmond one of his negative ads ran immediately after the debate; Kilgore refused to make the promise.

"I'll make the pledge to stand by my ads," Kilgore said.

On illegal immigrants, Kaine said he is "deeply opposed to illegal immigration," but he added that Herndon's Town Council was within its rights to finance a day-laborer site. "They should do what they think is best," he said.

Kilgore, who opposed Herndon's efforts, responded: "There he goes. He does want to spend state dollars on those illegally in this country. Mr. Kaine, I ask you, what part of illegal don't we understand?"

Kilgore once again refused to say whether he would sign a bill outlawing abortion if given the chance by the U.S. Supreme Court. Kaine called Kilgore's proposal to allow exceptions for rape and incest victims only if they report their crimes within a week "a heartless policy and a wrong way to go."

The campaign to lead Virginia has captivated the national political parties, which have both poured millions of dollars into the candidates. The campaign in Virginia and a governor's race in New Jersey are the only major elections this year.