Not what we had in mind

This can't be what Jerry Kilgore had expected.

Last week, the Republcian candidate for governor announced a "steering committee" of about 90 African Americans he said showed that his campaign was reaching out to the minority community. Earlier, he had been running radio ads in urban areas asking blacks to give him a chance.

The Richmond Free Press, the city's leading black newspaper, then did an article.

So far, so good, right?

But the article, titled "Kilgore Unveils Team" is not full of praise for Kilgore. In fact, in the third graph, it concludes that "most of the members of what the former attorney general called his African-American leadership team seem to be dyed-in-the-wool Republicans who are as loyal to their party as Yellow Dog Democrats and have little track record of success in garnering black support for the GOP."

Yikes.

But that's not the worst. The same paper carried two letters to the editor that took Kilgore to task. One, titled "Kilgore Hostile to Equality" chides him for his policies regarding affirmative action, housing and employment discrimination. It also questions Kilgore's appearance at an NAACP function.

"While Mr. Kilgore may smile and offer up praise before various organizations dedicated to equality, he should be reminded that actions speak louder than words," the letter said.

Another letter echoed the first, saying that "it's one thing to show up and posture at a reception, but another thing entirely to actually do something positive."

Tim Murtaugh, Kilgore's spokesman, shrugged off the criticism as the normal carping from Democrats.

"These are card-carrying Democrats. It's not surprising that they react violently when a Republican shows success in reaching out to the African American community," he said. "The fact is that Jerry Kilgore's agenda and positive vision appeals to all Virginians and we're trying to make that clear."

By Michael Shear |  July 12, 2005; 1:00 PM ET  | Category:  Jerry Kilgore
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