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2001 Virginia Gubernatorial Debate - Articles
Earley and Warner debate taxes and styles
Candidates spar for last time
By Tyler Whitley
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 11, 2001
ROANOKE - Democrat Mark R. Warner and Republican Mark L. Earley continued to debate taxes and political styles last night in the last debate of the gubernatorial campaign
With 26 days to go until the election, Earley returned time after time to the issue of taxes, saying Warner wanted to raise them while he did not.
And time after time, Warner said he would change the tone of politics in Richmond by getting away from "old-style politics as usual." He said the negative attacks by Earley were part of that, and he also said he would not raise taxes if elected.
Little new ground was broken in the hourlong debate..
"Earley had a good night, but running behind, he needed a knockout punch and there were no knockout punches," said Dr. Robert Denton, a communications professor at Virginia Tech.
Earley said he opposed hate-crimes legislation. He said assaults on any group of citizens should have stiffer penalties.
Warner said he supported adding crimes against gays and disabled people to the list of hate crimes.
Both candidates favored making it easier for some felons to have their voting rights restored. Earley said this would apply only to nonviolent offenders; Warner was less specific.
Asked to name a good quality in his opponent, Earley waggishly cited Warner's persistence in running for office. Warner cited Earley's faith.
Warner was greeted at the WDBJ television station by about 150 boisterous supporters, a bluegrass band and a pig, symbolizing the mudslinging he has accused Earley of practicing.
The Earley arrival was more subdued. The television station management, saying it was afraid of upsetting the neighbors, had asked the campaigns to avoid large demonstrations.
The debate was the fourth of the campaign. That is one more than was held during the 1997 gubernatorial race.
Earley had wanted more debates and had wanted at least one to be held later in October, closer to the Nov. 6 election, when people presumably are paying more attention.
The first two debates were not televised.
The debate last night, which had more major-market television outlets than the one at Virginia Commonwealth University a week ago, had competition from a baseball playoff game between the world champion New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics.
The earlier debates were held in July before the Virginia Bar Association at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia and in September before the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.
At the VCU debate, moderator L. Douglas Wilder's attempt to prod Warner to respond more directly to the questions appeared to throw Warner off stride. Earley was viewed as the winner, giving new life to a campaign that has had trouble gaining traction.
Last night's debate almost was not held. It originally was scheduled for Sunday night, but the attacks on Afghanistan by U.S. and British forces prompted the sponsors to postpone it.
Warner wanted to reschedule the debate to today at noon, which probably would have produced little television coverage. The sponsors and the Earley campaign pressured Warner for a prime-time debate, and last night's debate was hastily arranged.
It was shown live or on tape delay in all of the state's major markets.
Earley, particularly, who has trailed in all the polls, hoped the increased exposure would benefit his campaign.
As in the other debates, the Libertarian Party candidate, William B. Redpath of Herndon, was not a asked to participate. The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association and the Center for Governmental Studies limit participants to any candidate polling more than 15 percent. Redpath generally has registered about 1 percent in most recent polls.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (434) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com
Times-Dispatch staff writer Rex Bowman contributed to this report.
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Copyright © 2002 U.Va. Center for Politics. All rights reserved.
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