And his campaign metaphor of being a bridge builder between differing groups sounds more like Bill Clinton than either George Bush. In liberal Maryland, he will more likely be on the defensive about his abortion views than his death penalty stance.
Kaine has been hammered by Kilgore on the death penalty, an issue with great voter appeal in a state with one of the nation's highest rates of executions. But he has countered by speaking extensively about his Catholic faith, something rare for a Democratic politician. And while he regularly criticizes Kilgore, he does not often extend his remarks to Republicans as a group.
At a big Richmond fundraiser last month, Kaine passed up the chance to give his supporters a red-meat attack on Kilgore and instead talked about how he and Warner had worked with Republicans on the state's fiscal problems.
"Perfect," a state house lobbyist said afterward. "We like to hear about them working together."
All in all, Kilgore is the one who seems most in the right place, a conservative Republican in a conservative state. But even that is playing out differently this year, as the Republican president who won the state easily last year now has approval ratings below the 50-percent line and the national party is caught up in a frenzy over a failed Supreme Court nomination and possible indictments.
Kilgore says those national events don't matter to his race; he points out that four years ago, Bush's approval rating was soaring and the state still elected Democrat Warner.
For his part yesterday, Ehrlich was looking for his own good news in Tysons Corner. "Who's here from Maryland?" he asked, and more than a few hands went up.
"There's Maryland cash here today," he told Kilgore. "Now, that's regional cooperation."
