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Abortion stance hurts Gilmore

Senate candidate inspires unease in Virginia value voters

By Gary Emerling (Contact) | Monday, June 9, 2008

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Virginia Republican Senate nominee James S. Gilmore III's stance on abortion and his ties to a company that makes morning-after pills present formidable challenges to his campaign, some conservatives say.

"Conservatives in Virginia have already demonstrated they're willing to leave the ballot blank if they're convinced the candidate is not with them on the issues," said Shaun Kenney, a blogger and former state Republican Party spokesman. Mr. Gilmore's "got to determine whether the value voters are important to his campaign."

Mr. Gilmore, 58, was chosen over state Delegate Robert G. Marshall of Prince William County, as the Republican candidate last month by state delegates at a party convention. In November, he will face former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat.

Mr. Gilmore, also a former Virginia governor, earned $138,750 over the past two-and-a-half years for sitting on the board of directors for Barr Laboratories Inc., according to financial records filed last month with the Senate. The Gilmore campaign said the figure represents director fees earned from 2006 through May 2008.

Barr manufactures the morning-after pill, known as "Plan B." The over-the-counter drug can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if taken within three days after unprotected sex, but some pro-life advocates call taking the drug the equivalent of abortion.

Gilmore spokeswoman Ana Gamonal said Mr. Gilmorejoined the Barr board in 2002 because the company, which has a plant in Forest, Va., "is a major Virginia employer and one of the leading women's health care firms in the world."

"The Plan B pill ... is a contraceptive, not an abortion pill," she said.

Barr spokeswoman Carol Cox said the company's manufacturing facilities in Forest, just south of Lynchburg, employ roughly 600 Virginians. She also said Mr. Gilmore is an "independent director" and "is neither involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, or its product selection or marketing decisions."

During, the Republican primary, Mr. Marshall criticized Mr. Gilmore for his association with Barr and for his view that abortions within the first eight weeks after conception should be legal.

In his concession speech at the May 31 convention - at which he lost by a margin of less than 1 percent - Mr. Marshall urged Republicans to unite behind "a real pro-life principle."