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2001 Virginia Gubernatorial Debate - Articles
Warner, Earley Clash Over N.Va. Tax Issue
By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, October 11, 2001; Page A01
Taxes dominated the final debate of the Virginia governor's race last night as Democrat Mark R. Warner told a statewide audience that Northern Virginia's traffic problems are so severe that the region's voters should be allowed to tax themselves to fix them.
Warner and Republican Mark L. Earley clashed repeatedly over the issue as Earley sought to label the Democrat a taxer of the variety long rejected by Virginians. Warner countered that he does not favor raising taxes but believes that Northern Virginia should be able to hold a referendum on raising the sales tax to finance $900 million in transportation projects.
That issue and others last night offered a preview of the race's final weeks as both candidates struggle to reach voters more focused on America's war on terrorism. As the Nov. 6 election looms and military action continues overseas, the closest thing to an overriding issue is the sales tax referendum, which Earley has made the center of his campaign for several weeks.
"It's a job killer, and it puts your family's financial security at risk," Earley said of the sales tax idea. "He wants to raise taxes."
Warner replied: "The people of Northern Virginia are fed up. It's gridlock. So they, the business leaders, the elected leaders, have said, 'Why don't you give us a chance to help ourselves with a referendum?' . . . My opponent has said that's a $900 million tax increase. It's just not true."
Earley returned to the issue again and again. As the debate wound down, Warner chided him for resorting to a "one-trick pony" by mentioning the issue 13 times.
"I may have mentioned it 13 times," Earley responded, "but it's a $900 million tax increase, so I may have to raise it a few more times."
And he did, twice.
Earley also pledged to complete the repeal of the car tax next year on schedule, saying, "In these stressful financial times, when families are depending more than ever on promised tax cuts, I think we need to deliver."
Warner said he, too, would complete the repeal, but he has promised only to do it by the end of a four-year term as governor.
Virginia's Nov. 6 election is one of the few major races in the nation this year, along with votes in New Jersey and New York City. But even with lots of attention from national party officials, Virginia's on-again, off-again campaign has been slow in taking shape after the Sept. 11 attacks and military action in Afghanistan.
The race seemed back to full steam a week ago in a televised debate in Richmond that most analysts said Earley won with a cool, confident performance. But the final debate in Roanoke was postponed Sunday as U.S. military forces began bombing runs in Afghanistan.
Last night's makeup debate had no studio audience, giving it a lower-key, less-combative feel than the debate last week. Warner seemed more poised, though not as smooth -- or as relentlessly focused on a single issue -- as Earley.
Questioners pushed the debate away from taxes -- temporarily -- on several occasions.
Warner used one question to highlight his support for abortion rights, which Earley largely opposes. Earley favors legal abortion only to protect a woman's life and has said he would champion a new law to force minors to get parental permission before having an abortion.
In another moment, Warner acknowledged that his political views have changed over the past decade as he moved from the chairmanship of the Virginia Democratic Party to a candidate for U.S. Senate to a candidate for governor.
"Have I gotten more conservative as I've gotten older? Probably," Warner said. "Haven't we all?"
But he poked at Earley for shifting his position on the Northern Virginia tax referendum, which the Republican once said he would consider allowing.
"You've flip-flopped so many times on this issue I hope you don't throw your back out," Warner said.
Earley used his time to tout his experience in state government, saying he would be a tax cutter and a crime fighter in the style of Gov. James S. Gilmore III (R) and former governor George Allen, whom Earley dubbed his favorite Republican governor.
Of Warner, Earley said, "He has no experience in the arena of public safety."
Earley also took a shot at Warner for sending his daughters to private school instead of public school. All of Earley's school-age children are in public schools in the Richmond suburbs. "I'm the only candidate in this race whose children are in public schools," he said. "It's a personal commitment for me. It's not just a public policy issue."
The backdrop of war has altered the chemistry of the race, with both campaigns shifting to patriotic appeals and toning down -- at least temporarily -- the tenor of their exchanges. Both campaigns have sought the right mix, showing deference to national affairs while also seeking to make the political distinctions necessary to win the election. It has made for a campaign like no other, said veteran political operatives.
"It's different this time because there's blood on American soil," said Earley strategist Christopher J. LaCivita. "Everyone is extremely sensitive to the climate we're currently in. But we know that people want to be provided a choice."
Warner built a solid lead over the summer -- measured at 11 points among likely voters in a Washington Post poll in August -- on the strength of his business-oriented message and a sustained television ad campaign made possible by his lead in fundraising. In the latest financial reports, Warner had raised $10 million, compared with Earley's $6.2 million.
Warner has no experience in public office but made a reported $200 million as an investor. He argues that business experience gives him the skills to run government, and he frequently blames "politics as usual" for the budget impasse in Richmond this year.
Earley made an issue of Warner's vast personal wealth, suggesting that it may explain his position on the tax referendum: "It'd be nice if we all could live day to day without a financial care in the world."
As a former attorney general and former state senator from Chesapeake, Earley has run as a seasoned heir to Gilmore and Allen, who in the past eight years cut taxes, reformed welfare and toughened the criminal justice system.
"The subtle message -- perhaps it's too subtle -- is we need to keep a good thing going," said Del. L. Preston Bryant Jr. (R-Lynchburg).
GOP operatives say their polling shows Earley closing the gap in recent weeks by seizing on the tax referendum, which has bipartisan support among lawmakers from Northern Virginia. It would allow voters to decide whether to raise the sales tax from 4 1/2 percent to 5 percent to pay for transportation improvements. Supporters estimate it could raise $130 million a year; borrowing against it could create $900 million.
Warner has pointedly not taken a position on whether the referendum proposal should pass, but he has said he would sign a bill to allow the referendum. He also counted money from the tax as 40 percent of his $2.25 billion transportation plan.
Earley, by contrast, repeated his pledge last night to veto a referendum in the current economic climate, though campaign officials have reminded reporters that economic times could change, allowing him to sign it. His $1.8 billion transportation plan relies on borrowing against existing sources of transportation funding and includes no money from a sales tax increase.
Both candidates have largely avoided social issues. And little has been heard from independent groups on issues involving guns, abortion, the environment or race relations. Warner has distanced himself from liberal social causes to avoid alienating more conservative rural voters.
Last night, Warner also kept his distance from his running mates, Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Timothy Kaine and nominee for attorney general A. Donald McEachin, both of whom have taken more liberal positions on gun control and other social issues.
When asked about why the party's nominees don't agree on issues, Warner said, "You ought to ask them to lay out their own views."
A carnival atmosphere reigned outside the television studio as Warner supporters gathered at the bank building next door with signs, a bluegrass band, a girl on a trampoline and the actor who played Cooter on "Dukes of Hazzard," Ben Jones. The host of the debate, WDBJ-TV, had asked the campaigns to tone down their displays outside the Roanoke studio, but Warner campaign officials declined.
The debate was sponsored by the University of Virginia Center for Governmental Studies and the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association, which did not invite Libertarian Party candidate William Redpath to participate. It was broadcast on stations across Virginia, including NewsChannel 8 last night. WRC-TV (Channel 4) in Washington plans to air it at 10 this morning.
Staff writer Steven Ginsberg contributed to this report from Roanoke.
© 2001 The Washington Post Company
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