Free Republic

The two major-party candidates for Virginia governor clashed on the death penalty and taxes during a televised debate Sunday night that included several rancorous exchanges. Republican Jerry Kilgore, the former state attorney general, insisted that Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine could not be trusted to enforce the death penalty and to not raise taxes. Kaine, who is Roman Catholic, said his religious objections to capital punishment would not affect his decisions on the issue. He did not promise not to raise taxes and suggested Kilgore's demand for a voter referendum on all tax increase proposals showed poor leadership. "You've got...