The First 'Great' Debate in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. - Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore portrayed his Democratic foe as disingenuous or even deceitful in his campaign positions, but it was Kilgore who would not answer a debate grilling Tuesday about whether he would outlaw abortion.

Kilgore and Democrat Tim Kaine, locked in a tight race for governor, clashed before a Fairfax Chamber of Commerce luncheon, each looking for either a breakout moment or a fumble by the opponent.

Under relentless questioning about what he would do if a new Supreme Court overturned its 1973 abortion decision, Kilgore answered only that he supported a "a culture of life."

"But, Mr. Kilgore, it's a simple question," debate moderator Tim Russert said, demanding a yes or no answer to whether he would outlaw abortion except for cases of rape, incest or the mother's life.

Kilgore replied that the question was "a hypothetical. You don't know what any Supreme Court in the future is going to do."

"If the Virginia legislature passed a tax increase, would you veto it or sign it?" Russert persisted.

"I would veto it," Kilgore answered.

"That's a hypothetical question," the NBC "Meet The Press" host interjected, cutting Kilgore off as a crowd of about 500 business leaders and politicians - most of them sympathetic to Kaine - broke into laughter at Kilgore's expense.

It was the second debate of the year between the two front-runners in the Nov. 8 election, and took place just an hour before a second debate that pitted Kaine against independent H. Russell Potts Jr., an irascible and disaffected Republican state senator from Winchester.

Kilgore and Kaine are scheduled to debate once more on Oct. 9, the only debate to be televised statewide. The first of Tuesday's doubleheader was carried live on a cable television system that serves most of northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The second, organized only in recent weeks, was held in a tiny meeting room and not broadcast.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)