By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

RICHMOND, March 11 -- Former governor James S. Gilmore III announced endorsements Tuesday from two of the Republican Party's statewide officeholders and nearly two dozen other prominent conservatives, seeking to solidify the GOP establishment around his U.S. Senate candidacy as he faces a significant challenge from the right.

The rollout of endorsements from Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell and other Republicans signaled that Gilmore is paying increasing attention to Del. Robert G. Marshall's bid for the GOP nomination.

"This shows the Republican leaders in the state trust and believe Jim Gilmore is the better candidate to beat Mark Warner and has the best chance to keep this U.S. Senate seat," said Ana Gamonal, a Gilmore spokeswoman.

So far, Gilmore has mainly sought to ignore Marshall and focus on the likely Democratic nominee, former governor Mark R. Warner, in the fall contest to replace Sen. John W. Warner, who is retiring. But Gilmore's burst of endorsements shows he is working to shore up conservative support.

Marshall (Prince William), a leader in Virginia's antiabortion and antitax movements, is showing some strength among activists, who will convene in May to pick a candidate.

County committees have begun electing delegates to the convention. The deadline to register as a Loudoun County delegate passed last week, and Marshall said he expects to receive two-thirds of those delegates. Loudoun GOP sources confirmed that Marshall has significant support in the county, noting that his legislative district includes part of southern Loudoun.

Marshall scored a political victory Feb. 29 when the state Supreme Court ruled that taxing power delegated to regional transportation authorities in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia was unconstitutional. Marshall was a plaintiff in that lawsuit.

"I saved billions of dollars from being taxed unconstitutionally for Virginia citizens," Marshall said. "I was the only elected official in Virginia that stood up for citizens. Jim Gilmore sat on his hands."

In a letter to Republican activists Tuesday, 23 conservatives called on the party to unify behind Gilmore.

"There is so much at stake in this election. Too much at stake not to unite -- and unite now -- behind the one conservative candidate with both a proven record and a chance to win," the letter stated. It included signatures from several Virginia lawmakers.

McDonnell and Bolling, likely rivals for the GOP gubernatorial nomination next year, joined in support of Gilmore.

Bolling called Gilmore, who was governor from 1998 to 2002, one of "the most consistent and principled conservative leaders" he has known.

"Jim Gilmore knows what he believes in, and he fights for it, when it's easy and when it's not," Bolling said. "That's the kind of leader we need representing us in the United States Senate."

McDonnell, an Army veteran, cited Gilmore's leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon. "Jim Gilmore stands alone in this race in his understanding of national security issues," McDonnell said.