By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
Reuters
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; 4:56 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Republican Gov. James Gilmore of Virginia formed a committee to explore a longshot White House bid on Tuesday and promised to fill a conservative void in the 2008 race.

"Alone among those considering a candidacy for the Republican nomination, I have a record of real leadership as a tax cutter and job creator, as a leader on national security issues and as a national leader in our party," he said in forming a committee to raise money for a presidential bid.

Gilmore, who served one term as governor of Virginia and headed a national commission on terrorism before the September 11 attacks, said his government and security credentials would be his biggest assets in a national campaign.

The former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the Republican Governors Association hopes to win the support of social conservatives, who play an influential role in the Republican primaries.

Gilmore barely registers in most opinion polls of the Republican field, which is led for now by Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. But some conservatives are less than enthusiastic about McCain and Giuliani, who they see as too moderate on social issues.

They also have questioned the social views of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been accused of shifting his stance on gay marriage and abortion rights over the years.

"There is a void in this race. I don't think there is a mainstream conservative who can put a campaign together to run nationwide," Gilmore said in a Reuters interview.

He called himself a "Ronald Reagan conservative type" who has been a "consistent conservative" over the years without shifting his positions.

"That's what people are looking for and that's what I'm going to bring to the race," he said.

Gilmore said he would move quickly toward a formal candidacy. He is the seventh Republican in a growing field of candidates pondering formal bids to succeed Republican President George W. Bush in the White House.

Other Republicans in the race include former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

In advance of Bush's speech on Iraq on Wednesday, Gilmore said he would support an increase in U.S. troops there as long as there was "a clear mission statement" about their purpose.