The governor--Mark Warner--is a Democrap. John Warner is a self-important blow hard that is a lukewarm Republican. Kilgore is/was a poor candidate.
"Kilgore is/was a poor candidate"
why do we always say a Republican who loses is/was a bad candidate?
Kilgore was the ONLY Republican who won statewide in '01, so he can't be that bad a candidate. AND, it turned out Mark Warner (for some unknown reason) is exceedingly popular in the Commonwealth and carried Kaine across the finish line.