As decision day approaches in Virginia,

the Washington Times makes the case for Jerry Kilgore, the Republican candidate for governor. The case is strong. Kilgore is a steadfast conservative with an outstanding record as a crime fighter, opponent of racial preferences, and enemy of tax increases. Kaine is able and intelligent, but has tied himself in knots trying to disguise his liberalism on social issues, immigration, and taxes.

The race will be closely watched because there aren’t many other ones to watch this year. Kilgore has consistently held a “lead” but it pretty consistently has been within the margin of error.

If Kaine wins, the Democrats will make much of it — heck, they were overjoyed when they came close to winning a special congressional election in Ohio earlier this year. Any state-wide victory by a Democrat in the south is noteworthy. But remember that Kaine is the beneficiary of a break-away Republican third candidate. Moreover, this would not be pick-up for the Dems — the current governor is a moderate Democrat. Kaine is making a race of it by presenting himself as a moderate in the same mold. So a Kaine victory would be good news for the Dems nationally only to the extent they are prepared to nominate candidates who can plausbily claim not be liberal.

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