With his eyes firmly on the Governor's Mansion, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Kilgore got a little support from one of his most powerful friends during a fund-raiser at a McLean home Thursday evening.
"Well, we figure it can't hurt to have the leader of the free world on your side," said Kilgore spokesman Tim Murtaugh, happy that his candidate would be introducing President George W. Bush as a special guest for the event.
"The President has made it clear that he supports this campaign and also that he's happy to do what he can to help Jerry Kilgore win this election," Murtaugh said.
The event, which was held at the home of developer Dwight C. Schar, was closed to the public and the media.
At a whopping $15,000 to $100,000 per ticket for each of the 100 attendees, the event raised over $2.1 million for the Kilgore campaign, Murtaugh said. "That makes it the largest fund-raiser in gubernatorial history in Virginia," he said.
Bush and Kilgore have worked together on "various causes" in the past during Kilgore's term as attorney general for Virginia and as the chair of the statewide campaign for Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney's re-election last year, Murtaugh said.
"This was very exciting for us. It's a high profile event. When the president is willing to give his time and effort to your campaign, it's very meaningful," he said.
The president's support will help to reach voters, said Tucker Martin, another spokesman from Kilgore's office. "He and Mr. Kilgore know and respect each other and we appreciate his support immensely," he said.
Both men place a high priority on education and pride themselves on being "strong, confident leaders," Martin said.
KILGORE WAS "very honored" to have the chance to host the president, he said. "It's something you'll remember, when the president comes out to support your campaign. It gives us a huge push of momentum and demonstrates the tremendous support this campaign has from the grassroots levels up through the government."
Prior to Thursday's event, Kilgore was trailing opponent Tim Kaine for fundraising dollars, with Kaine having raised $10,994,638 to Kilgore's $10,762,902, according to Virginia Public Access Project, which records campaign funding sources and amounts. As of Thursday, $242,552 in donations had been added to Kilgore's campaign from McLean alone, including $15,000 from Capital One, $6,000 from Base Technologies and $31,000 from Dwight Schar, who hosted the event in his home.
With only two gubernatorial contests on the docket for election night, Bush looked forward to the opportunity to support a Republican candidate, said Ken Lisaius, a White House spokesman.
"We know the president supports this campaign. He participates in various fund-raisers across the country and has done this many times," Lisaius said. "He's a strong supporter of Mr. Kilgore and I'm confident he was a full participant in the event."
The president was scheduled to be introduced by Kilgore and give a few short remarks in the hour-and-a-half he was at the event, Lisaius said.
Kilgore was unable to be reached directly for comment