Senate Candidates Prep for First Debate

RICHMOND With the first debate between Virginia's top U.S. Senate candidates a little more than a week away, Republican candidate James S. Gilmore III might finally get a chance to define his race against Democrat Mark R. Warner on his terms.

The two men, former Virginia governors with drastically different views of each other's records, will slug it out July 19 at the Homestead resort in western Virginia.

Gilmore, known for a combative style, is expected to come out swinging, hoping to pin Warner down on his views on controversial social and foreign policy issues that have been liabilities for Democratic candidates in the traditionally conservative state.

But as the campaign enters its next phase, it's becoming apparent that Warner, not Gilmore, has been playing offense.

Even before Gilmore secured the GOP nomination last month, the Warner campaign dominated the media. Warner has been trying to squeeze the oxygen out of Gilmore's efforts while being quick to fortify his candidacy when it comes to his own weaknesses.

Warner's apparent strike-before-being-struck strategy became apparent May 31, when Gilmore was set to officially receive the Republican nomination at the party's state convention.

Three hours before the delegates began voting whether to nominate Gilmore or state Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), Warner's campaign issued a news release announcing that he would be launching his first statewide TV ad.

In the ad, which aired statewide, Warner sought to frame the question of who was the better governor. Apparently convinced he has the Democratic base locked up, Warner also used his opening salvo to widen the gap between Gilmore and some moderate Republicans and independents.

The ad featured testimonials from former state Senate president John H. Chichester, a Republican, and business and civic leaders who credit Warner for closing a budget shortfall while he was governor from 2002 to 2006. The ad implies that Gilmore created the shortfall when he was governor from 1998 to 2002.

Gilmore denies he created a shortfall, but because he has struggled to raise money, he hasn't been able to respond to Warner with an ad of his own. Warner is among the best-funded Democratic candidate in any U.S. Senate race this year. Gilmore, who has not won over the state's business community, is one of the worst-funded GOP Senate candidates running for an open seat.

Two weeks after his first ad aired, Warner struck against Gilmore just as the Republican was shaking off a narrow victory over Marshall at the GOP convention. Marshall, in his first statewide campaign, came within 70 votes of upsetting Gilmore.

After the convention, in mid-June, Gilmore tried to organize a round of free publicity by scheduling a day-long fly-around of Virginia to launch his general election campaign.