August 23, 2005
Senator Russ Potts is the wild card in the race for governor. Even though it is virtually a dead heat between Democratic candidate Tim Kaine and Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore, Independent candidate Potts is weighing in with nine percent of the vote.
When asked if he believes his percentage of votes is chipping away at Kilgore's, Potts said he is not concerned with taking votes away from Kilgore, or Kaine, and that he believes he will be one of the biggest upsets in political history.
Potts also spoke about his current exclusion in the only televised debate before the election. He called Kilgore's alleged blocking of his participation a "cowardly and unprincipled approach." Kaine has agreed to face Potts in seven other debates.
On the subject of skyrocketing property taxes, Potts said he refused to give a soundbite. He said property taxes are a local issue and that such revenue is needed to pay for core issues such as education, transportation, or garbage collection. He said without such revenues, localities would be millions of dollars in debt.
