The Associated Press has not compiled a Quick Guide graphic for Jim Gilmore.
The former Virginia governor can be found online at http://www.gilmoreforamerica.com.
On Twitter: @gov_gilmore
Basic bio info
Jim Gilmore was born Oct. 6, 1949, in Richmond, Va. He earned degrees from the University of Virginia, including his law degree, and eventually was elected attorney general for the state. He also serves as president of the conservative think tank Free Congress Foundation
He has been married since 1977.
His stand (entering the race)
On July 30, Gilmore became the 17th candidate in a crowded Republican field by posting his announcement to see the presidential nomination with a video on YouTube. He’s filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission a day earlier.
Gilmore, who was Virginia’s governor from 1998 to 2002, also ran for president in 2007 before dropping out of the race amid a lack of fundraising. The following year, Gilmore ran unsuccessfully in Virginia for an open Senate seat.
A former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Gilmore entered the race too late to compete for a spot in the party’s first presidential debate.
Because of low poll numbers, he also was excluded from the most recent Republican debates.
However, in late September, he made a special trip to South Carolina to make his candidacy official in that state and its first-in-the-South primary in February.
The former Army intelligence officer completed one term as Virginia’s governor in 2002 and chaired a congressional panel that assessed America’s capabilities to respond to a terrorist attack.
After filing his papers, Gilmore told The Associated Press that he has the best presidential qualifications among the candidates and knows the most about foreign policy. Gilmore also says he’s less theatrical than some candidates but believes voters will take his message seriously once he gets more exposure
His support
He hasn’t garnered much support, but in his speech in his announcement video he laid out why he’s the candidate for Republicans:
“With so many candidates already in the race some may ask ‘why am I running?’ That’s a fair question that deserves a straight answer.
“I am a candidate for president because our current Washington leadership is guiding America on a path to decline, and I can reverse that decline.
“That current leadership is damaging our economic and national security to such a degree, that for this first time in American history, most Americans believe their children will not be better off than they are.
“I have a vision for a different America, one that will return America to the policies of a dynamic, entrepreneurial free-market economy and a policy of peace-through-strength for our national security.
“I have been looking for someone to enter the race committed to my belief that America’s economic and national security is increasingly at risk, but I have not seen a response from anyone that makes me certain about their knowledge or solutions to the threats facing our nation.
“I do not seek the presidency because I want to be something. I seek it because I want to DO something — for America.”
His critics
Despite his criticism of the other 16 candidates who were in the running when he threw his hat into the Republican ring for president, voters apparently do see his rivals already representing the issues and concerns that Gilmore is pushing.
