    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [November 7, 2005]
    [Pages 1671-1674]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Rally for Gubernatorial Candidate Jerry Kilgore in Richmond, Virginia
    November 7, 2005

        The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for the kind
    introduction, Governor. We're not taking anything for granted.
    Laura and I are here to ask you to turn out the
    vote tomorrow for Jerry Kilgore

    [[Page 1672]]

    as the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
        I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. I remember what it's
    like to be right there on election eve. This man has worked his heart
    out. He has traveled the great Commonwealth of Virginia talking common
    sense to the voters, and now it's your time. He's counting on you to get
    out and turn out the vote and deliver a great victory on behalf of all
    people of Virginia by putting him in the Governor's chair.
        I appreciate you coming out here to the airport. See, we were just
    flying in from Latin America. Decided to stop a little short of our
    destination. See, I know a man of character and integrity, and he's
    standing right next to me. And that's Jerry Kilgore.
        When you find a man who's got this kind of character, it makes sense
    to stop short of the destination to come in and to say to the people of
    this State, ``Put him in office, and you'll be proud of the job he'll do
    for you.''
        He's got a record. See, you can count on him. You know where he
    stands, and you know he can get the job done. And equally important, you
    know he doesn't need to run a poll to tell him what to think.
        Audience members. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
        The President. He's got a clear agenda. That's what you want in
    somebody running for Governor. You got to know where they stand, not
    yesterday but today and tomorrow. See, you got to understand that this
    is a guy who thinks clearly, and when he says something, he means what
    he says.
        And so I hope you'll work hard tomorrow to call up your friends and
    neighbors and tell them they have a duty in this democracy of ours to
    vote. And tell them if they want good government, good, solid, sound,
    conservative government to put this good man in the Governor's chair in
    Richmond.
        And while you're putting in Jerry Kilgore, make sure you put in Bill
    Bolling to be the next Lieutenant
    Governor and Bob McDonnell to be the
    next attorney general.
        You know, Laura and I are thrilled to be here
    with Jerry and Marty. I like a guy who loves
    his wife. I sure love mine. We celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary
    in Argentina. I told her if she married me, I'd take her to--I'd
    celebrate our anniversary in exotic places.
        I appreciate very much Marty standing by
    and working in this campaign. I know how tough it is on a family, but
    when you believe in something, when you believe in the people of the
    Commonwealth, it's worth the sacrifice, and it's worth the hard work.
    And the Kilgore family believes in the people of this important State. I
    want to thank their children, Klarke and
    Kelsey.
        I want to thank Jean Ann Bolling,
    Maureen McDonnell. I want to thank all the
    families of the candidates who are supporting the candidates. It's
    important to be a family unit in this kind of race, see. There's a lot
    of pressure. There's a lot of noise, and there's nothing better to go
    home to a loving family. And that's why this guy is going to be a good
    Governor. See, when times get hot, he's going to be able to rely on some
    basics in life, and that is his faith and his family to see him through.
        I appreciate Congressman Eric Cantor and his
    wife, Diana. Thank you all for coming. I thank
    all the State and local officials who are here. I want to thank our
    political officials. I want to thank all the grassroots activists, all
    the people who put up the signs--all the people, all the people who have
    been making the phone calls. We thank you both--both of us thank you for
    going door to door and knocking on your neighbor's door. Keep working
    hard. And when you do, you'll be rewarded with a great victory tomorrow
    night with Jerry Kilgore as your Governor.
        The thing I like about this fellow is he grew up in Virginia, and he
    grew up on a small farm. That means he's a down-to-earth person. He
    doesn't have a lot of

    [[Page 1673]]

    fancy airs. That's the kind of guy you want to represent you, a person
    who understands how the common man thinks, a person who shares the
    values with the majority of people in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
        He's on the right side of the issues too. See, it's one thing to
    have good character; it's a different thing to have somebody who is on
    the right side of the issues. See, he understands that when he is the
    Governor, the top priority of this State is to make sure you educate
    every single child, that you cannot leave any child behind if you're
    going to have a State that's got a hopeful future.
        I appreciate his plan to retain, recruit, and reward good teachers.
    You can't--by the way, if there's any teachers out there, both Jerry and
    I thank you for teaching. You'll have a good friend in the Governor's
    mansion, somebody who understands the value and importance of being a
    teacher. And the parents will have somebody in the Governor's mansion
    who understands the value and importance of teaching every child to read
    and write and add and subtract.
        I appreciate Jerry's stand on taxes. He trusts the people with their
    own money. See, that's a philosophical difference. Think about the
    campaign. If you're out there listening, think about which candidate
    says, ``I trust you with your own money.'' See, he understands the
    difference between your money and what others call the government's
    money. It's not the government's money; it's the people's money. It's
    the hard-working people's money.
        It's just not rhetoric; this man's got a record. He opposed the
    State tax increase last year. He's going to eliminate the State death
    tax once and for all. He's going to eliminate the State car tax once and
    for all. If you want to keep your taxes low and keep your economy
    growing, there's only one candidate in this race who will do so, and
    that's Jerry Kilgore.
        Audience members. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
        The President. One of the key jobs of a Governor is to keep the
    people of the State safe. One of the key responsibilities is to support
    the law enforcement officials in your State, and he'll do that. He'll
    stand with the men and women who wear the uniform, who patrol your
    highway, who work in the neighborhood to keep the people of this
    Commonwealth safe. He's going to be tough on crime, and he's going to
    enforce all the laws--all the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
        He's got a good roads plan. I, frankly, haven't had that much
    problem driving on the roads around here--[Laughter]--but a lot of you
    have. These roads are crowded, and he's going to do something about it.
    He's got a plan, as he says, to get Virginia moving again. It's not only
    moving again when it comes to roads; it's moving forward to make sure
    there's a hopeful life for every single citizen in this Commonwealth.
        Virginia is the home to a lot of military folks. Jerry Kilgore
    understands we're at war with an enemy that hates what we stand for.
    He'll be supportive of the families who live in this State whose loved
    ones are sacrificing on behalf of the American people. He'll be--he
    understands the nature of this struggle. He understands that our
    government must never let down our guard, that we have a solemn
    obligation to protect the American people, that we must never wait to be
    attacked again, that we must stay on the offense and bring people to
    justice before they harm the American people.
        He also shares the same faith I have in the capacity of freedom to
    yield the peace we all want. He understands what I understand, and that
    is democracy is the best hope of mankind, that in the deep--in
    everybody's soul, regardless of their religion or where they live, is
    the deep desire to live in freedom. You see, freedom--freedom is not
    America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each
    man and woman in this world. And by staying strong and confident in the
    capacity

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    of freedom to transform societies, he understands we're laying the
    foundation of peace for generations to come.
        Jerry Kilgore is a man who brings deep principles and values into
    this race and will bring those same values into the Governor's mansion.
    He has a respect for life and will work hard to build a culture of life
    here in Virginia. He stands on that solid ground of deep moral
    conviction and solid Virginia principles. And that is why I'm absolutely
    confident he is up for the task and will make a great Governor for the
    Commonwealth of Virginia.
        Laura and I are so grateful for this--for the
    welcome. Thank you all so much for coming out. I don't want to keep you
    too long. [Applause] No, no, no. You've got a job to do. See, if I could
    vote, you already got my vote. You need to go out and find that
    undecided person. You need to find our fellow Republicans and those
    discerning Democrats who know a good man when they see one. Keep working
    hard. Turn out that vote, and you'll be proud of the next Governor of
    Virginia, Jerry Kilgore.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:47 p.m. at the Dominion Energy, Inc.,
    hangar at Richmond International Airport. In his remarks, he referred to
    Marty Kilgore, wife of Jerry Kilgore, candidate for Virginia Governor;
    Jean Ann Bolling, wife of Bill Bolling, candidate for Virginia
    Lieutenant Governor; and Maureen McDonnell, wife of Bob McDonnell,
    candidate for Virginia attorney general.