Ed Gillespie
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Edward Walter Gillespie (born August 1, 1961) is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st Chair of the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the President from 2007 to 2009 during the
Presidency of George W. Bush George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college victo ...
. In 2012 Gillespie was a senior member of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. Gillespie founded the bipartisan lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates with Jack Quinn, and founded Ed Gillespie Strategies. Gillespie ran in the 2014 United States Senate election in Virginia. Gillespie narrowly lost to incumbent
Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...
by a margin of 0.8%. Gillespie ran for
Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...
in the 2017 election. After winning the Republican primary, he was defeated in the general election by Democratic nominee
Ralph Northam Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
; Gillespie received 1.17 million votes (45%) to Northam's 1.40 million (54%) in the election. In 2020, Gillespie was hired by
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
to serve as senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs. Previously, he served as co-chairman of Sard Verbinnen & Co.'s public affairs practice.


Early life

Gillespie was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, and raised in the Browns Mills section of
Pemberton Township, New Jersey Pemberton Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 26,903, a decrease of 1,009 (−3.6% ...
. He is the son of Conny (Carroll) and Sean (later John) Patrick Gillespie, an immigrant from
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
who grew up in
North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...
. His parents owned a small grocery store in New Jersey, and Gillespie worked there after school. He is a graduate of
The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and Pemberton Township High School. While at CUA he began his career on
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...
as a U.S. Senate parking lot attendant. One of his co-workers there was an intern for Representative
Andy Ireland Andrew Poysell Ireland (August 23, 1930 – October 20, 2024) was an American banker and politician from Florida. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. He served eight terms, first as a Democrat ...
of Florida, and through him, Gillespie got the same job after he graduated from college.


Political career

Gillespie, raised in a Democratic family, began his political career as intern for
Andy Ireland Andrew Poysell Ireland (August 23, 1930 – October 20, 2024) was an American banker and politician from Florida. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. He served eight terms, first as a Democrat ...
, at the time a Democrat from Florida. In 1984, Ireland joined the Republican party with Gillespie following, saying, "I liked President Reagan's approach to governing and it just made sense to me." In his book, ''Winning Right,'' Gillespie described himself as someone who "all but had 'Democrat' stamped on his birth certificate," but had become increasingly uncomfortable with the leftward tilt of the national party and believed it wasn't taking the threat of Communism seriously. As he saw it, he and Ireland were classic Reagan Democrats who became Republicans–"a southern conservative and a young northeastern ethnic Catholic who no longer felt comfortable in the party of their heritage." He worked as telephone solicitor for the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
in 1985, and later worked for a decade as a top aide to former
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
Majority Leader
Dick Armey Richard Keith Armey (; born July 7, 1940) is an American economist and politician. He was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Texas's (1985–2003) and Party Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, ...
(R-TX), and was a principal drafter of the GOP's 1994 "
Contract With America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated by the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party during the 1994 United States House of Representatives elections, 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingri ...
." In 1996 he served as communications director for the RNC. In 1999, Gillespie worked as the Press Secretary for the Presidential campaign of
John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the pre ...
until his withdrawal from the race and endorsement of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
. In 2000, Gillespie served as senior communications advisor for the presidential campaign of Bush, organizing the party convention program in Philadelphia for Bush's nomination and Bush's inauguration ceremony. He played an aggressive role as spokesman for the Bush campaign during the vote recount in Florida. In 2002, he was a strategist for
Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorney, auth ...
's 2002 Senate campaign.


Lobbyist

In 1997, Gillespie joined the lobbying firm BGR Group (Barbour, Griffith & Rogers), and advised Senate Republicans during the
impeachment of Bill Clinton Bill Clinton, the List of presidents of the United States, 42nd president of the United States, was Federal impeachment in the United States, impeached by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress on Decem ...
. In 2000, Gillespie founded the lobbying firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates with Jack Quinn, and within a year had an income of $8.5 million and was 11th on
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's list of the most powerful lobbying firms in the US. One of the firm's clients was
Enron Enron Corporation was an American Energy development, energy, Commodity, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. It was led by Kenneth Lay and developed in 1985 via a merger between Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, both re ...
, which paid it $1,225,000, including $700,000 to lobby the Department of Energy and the
Executive Office of the President The Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The office consists o ...
to resist efforts to re-regulate the western
electricity market An electricity market is a system that enables the exchange of electrical energy, through an electrical grid. Historically, electricity has been primarily sold by companies that operate electric generators, and purchased by consumers or electr ...
during the
California Electricity Crisis California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Gillespie has said that he was unaware of Enron's deceptive accounting practices. By the end of 2002, Quinn Gillespie & Associates had received $27.4 million in lobbying fees. In 2007, Quinn Gillespie & Associates represented more than 100 clients. The firm lobbied on behalf of AT&T, Bank of America, and Microsoft in the years 2001–2007, earning more than $3.2 million. In 2016, the firm reported $17.2 million in revenue from federal lobbying. The firm pitched to potential clients that Gillespie, due to his involvement with the White House and association with individuals in power, could leverage those relationships to benefit clients. In 2016, Gillespie lobbied on behalf of the health insurance company
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
, as the nation's second-largest insurance firm tried to merge with third-largest insurance firm Cigna. A federal judge blocked the mergers, citing insurance regulators who said the merger would raise costs and reduce competition in the health insurance market. Gillespie shut down his lobbying firm Ed Gillespie Strategies shortly before launching his campaign for governor in January 2017. The conservative government watchdog Judicial Watch said that Gillespie's ties to corporations may pose a
conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...
for him as governor, and that this is a "nonpartisan concern". Gillespie's former clients Anthem, AT&T, Microsoft, and Bank of America have ongoing interests in the state of Virginia, and these corporations or their top executives have donated to the Gillespie 2017 campaign. Gillespie voluntarily released the list of his clients, disclosing more than is required by state law.


Chairman of the RNC

In 2003, Gillespie was selected as Chairman of the RNC, serving in that role through the 2004 elections that saw President Bush win re-election and Republicans retain control of the House and Senate. He did not give up his stake in the lobbying firm when he took that job, which caused controversy. During the campaign, he was regularly referred to as "President Bush's pit bull." In 2005 Bush appointed Gillespie to lead the process to nominate a successor to
Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan, O' ...
on the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
; that process led to the selection and confirmation of
Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Samuel Alito Supreme Court ...
. His book ''Winning Right'' was released in September 2006. Gillespie served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from December 2006 to June 2007. In the 2006 Virginia Senate elections he served as spokesman for defeated
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
Senator George Allen. He had been tapped by Allen as a political adviser for a possible presidential run in 2008 before that loss. In February 2009, Virginia Attorney General
Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...
announced that Gillespie would serve as general chairman of his campaign for governor. Gillespie has served as an adviser to American Crossroads.


White House counselor

In late June 2007, President Bush brought Gillespie into the White House on a full-time basis, to replace the departing Counselor to the President Dan Bartlett with the mandate to help raise Bush's flagging popularity ratings. When Karl Rove also departed in August, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' described Gillespie as stepping up to do part of Rove's job in the White House. A later ''Post'' article described Gillespie's role orchestrating a PR unit dedicated to "selling the surge to American voters and the media." Later in 2007, the Washington Post reported that Gillespie had taken a substantial pay cut to become Bush's counselor. "A disclosure form shows he made nearly $1.3 million in salary and bonus in the previous 18 months at his consulting and public affairs firm.... His annual government salary is $168,000. The form, obtained by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, reports that Gillespie, ... a former Capitol Hill aide who co-founded his lobbying shop in 2000 ..., has accumulated a fortune estimated to be between $7.86 million and $19.4 million."


Post-White House

In 2009, Gillespie was the chairman of
Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...
's successful campaign for governor of Virginia. In January 2010, Gillespie was announced in as the national chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), which helps elect state attorneys general, lieutenant governors, secretaries of state and state house and senate candidates. After Gillespie was announced chairman the RSLC is reported to have laundered $1.5 million from the
Poarch Band of Creek Indians The Poarch Band of Creek Indians ( ;) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans with reservation lands in lower Alabama. As Mvskoke people, they speak the Muscogee language. They were formerly known as the Creek Nation East of the Mi ...
to Alabama Speaker Mike Hubbard and a group associated with
Jack Abramoff Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted criminal. He was at the center of an extensive federal corruption investigation, which resulted in his conviction and 21 ...
. From January 2010 to January 2014 the RSLC paid Gilespie $654,000. Gillespie was not legally listed as the RSLC chairman until February 2011, when the organization filed updated documents with the IRS. In 2010, together with Republican strategist Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie helped get the
Super Pac Independent expenditure-only political action committees, better known as super PACs, are a type of political action committee (PAC) in the United States. Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are legally allowed to fundraise unlimited amounts of m ...
American Crossroads "off the ground." The organization's goal was to supplement campaign spending for Republicans, independently of the Republican party. '"Obama had $1.1 billion in 2008," says Gillespie.."John McCain and his supporters spent $634 million. That's a sizable gap." American Crossroads, he boasts, will be the place where the real money goes to "play."' In April 2012, Gillespie became a senior advisor to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.


2014 U.S. Senate run

In December 2013, Gillespie told ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' that he was considering a first-time political run in 2014 against
Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...
, a popular Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator in Virginia.Ex-RNC chair Ed Gillespie weighs Mark Warner challenge in Virginia
/ref> In January 2014, he officially launched his candidacy. He named Chris Leavitt, campaign manager of Mark Obenshain's 2013 run for Virginia Attorney general, his campaign manager. On June 7, 2014, he became the Republican nominee after receiving about 60% of the vote at the state party convention. Although Warner had been consistently leading Gillespie by double-digit margins in polls before October, Gillespie nearly upset Warner on Election Day, losing by a margin of just 0.8% and 17,723 votes, with 37% turnout. Gillespie conceded the race on November 7, 2014.


2017 gubernatorial run

Speculation began immediately after Gillespie's narrow 2014 loss that he would run for Governor of Virginia in 2017. In October 2015, Gillespie confirmed reports that he was preparing to run for governor in 2017. He officially declared his candidacy in November 2016. Gillespie was considered the favorite to win the Republican nomination. On June 13, 2017, Gillespie narrowly defeated his primary opponent Corey Stewart to win the Republican nomination for governor and was set to face incumbent lieutenant governor
Ralph Northam Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
, the Democratic nominee, in the November general election. In the 2017 gubernatorial campaign up to June 2017, Gillespie ran as an establishment Republican and focused on economic issues rather than social issues. According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in July 2017, Gillespie "sought to strike a delicate balance when pressed about Mr. Trump, who is highly unpopular here. He refused to say Mr. Trump's name, but warned that Mr. Northam, a Democrat, risked hurting Virginia's economy—which relies greatly on the federal government—by attacking the president so fiercely." According to ''
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
'', even though Gillespie has been endorsed by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, the "endorsement isn't mentioned anywhere on Gillespie's campaign website or his social media pages. Gillespie doesn't discuss Trump unless he's prompted to do so. He doesn't criticize the President, but he also doesn't make an effort to embrace him, either." In October 2017, Vice President
Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
held a joint rally with Gillespie. According to ''The New York Times'', the Gillespie campaign preferred Pence's involvement in the race over Trump's. In August 2017, ''The Washington Post'' reported that Gillespie hired Jack Morgan, an operative in the Trump 2016 campaign for president. Morgan has made controversial statements, such as saying that the country is on the brink of civil war and that communists are behind efforts to remove confederate monuments. Morgan had earlier in 2017 called Gillespie a "lobbyist" and said that it would be a "disaster" to elect him governor. According to ''The New York Times'', even though the Gillespie campaign distanced itself from Trump the person, it sought to motivate voters with the same "culturally and racially tinged appeals" of the Trump 2016 campaign. Most of Gillespie's ad spending has gone towards commercials on confederate monuments and
illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
. In October 2017, former president
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
took what ''The Washington Post'' described as "the unusual step" of criticizing Gillespie over his use of ads on Latino gang violence which he said sowed fear and were "as cynical as politics gets". After the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Gillespie condemned the far-right protestors, saying, " ereject the people who came in, largely from outside our Commonwealth, and brought their hate, their white supremacism, their neo-Nazism with them."Can A DC Insider Win as a Republican in 2017? Ed Gillespie Is About to Find Out.
/ref> After Donald Trump's controversial comment that there were "fine people on both sides," Gillespie said there was "no moral comparison between white supremacists and 'those that show up to condemn them for espousing that kind of hate-filled speech.' Gillespie criticized Northam for casting the deciding "no" vote to stop a Republican bill which would have banned sanctuary cities in Virginia. During the campaign, Gillespie and Trump accused Northam of being responsible for the increased activities of the MS-13 gangs and of being "in favor of sanctuary cities that let dangerous illegal immigrants back on the streets" and that this contributed to the surge in MS-13 violence; a notion that FactCheck.org found to be "misleading". ''The Washington Post'' and CNN noted that there are no actual sanctuary cities in Virginia and ''The Washington Post'' editorial board condemned the ads in an editorial called "Gillespie's ads are poisonous to Virginia and the nation". Gillespie himself acknowledged that Virginia did not have sanctuary cities. ''The Washington Post'' furthermore noted that there is no evidence that sanctuary cities increase crime or gang activity. In October, the Latino Victory Fund, which supported Northam, released an ad in which a
pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...
, adorned with a Gillespie bumper sticker, a " Don't tread on me" license plate, and a Confederate flag, chases down minority children and corners them in an alley—one of the children in the ad then wakes up, revealing the scene to have been a
nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...
.White House knocks 'political racism' after ad against Virginia Republican
(The Hill)
Although Northam and his campaign were not involved with the ad, Northam initially defended it, saying Gillespie's own ads "have promoted fearmongering, hatred, bigotry, racial divisiveness," and adding, "I mean, it's upset a lot of communities, and they have the right to express their views as well." The ad was pulled the following day in the hours after a terrorist attack in New York City, in which a man killed several people by running them over with a truck. Northam then distanced himself from the ad, re-emphasizing that it was not released by his campaign and saying that it is not one that he would have chosen to run. A spokesman for the campaign has said that the Latino Victory Fund's decision to pull the ad was "appropriate and the right thing to do." FOX 5 DC reported that the Northam campaign had accepted $62,000 as an in-kind media contribution from the Latino Victory Fund. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, as of November 5, Northam had raised $33.8 million to Gillespie's $24.5 million.VPAP - 2017 Governor
(accessed 10/29/17)
In October 2017, ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'' posted an analysis of the Gillespie campaign as an important example of whether and how mainstream Republican politics, represented by Gillespie, can produce victories in a purple state in the "era of
Trumpism Trumpism, also referred to as the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, is the political movement and ideology behind U.S. president Donald Trump and his political base. It comprises ideologies such as right-wing populism, right-wing ...
", and said that the outcome would effect Republican strategies in future races. Gillespie received 1.17 million votes (45%) to Northam's 1.40 million (54%) in the election.


Political positions

''The New York Times'' reported in 2014 that Gillespie had "ties to both Republican grass-roots and establishment wings".


Abortion

In January 2017 he participated in the
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
'' March for Life''. Gillespie said he would support a ban on late-term abortions after 20 weeks in Virginia, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or pregnancies that endanger the life of the mother. Gillespie was endorsed by the
National Right to Life Committee The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide. Since the 1980s, NRLC has influenc ...
in his 2017 run for governor. Gillespie pledged to sign legislation to defund
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization
; Governor
Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the List of governors of Virginia, 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
vetoed such legislation.


Confederate monuments

In August 2017, Gillespie signed a petition opposing the removal of Confederate monuments in Virginia. Gillespie said that removing the monuments was an attempt to erase history. In a September 2017 gubernatorial debate, Gillespie said that the statues were history and could be used to teach people about slavery in the South.Gillespie, Northam divided on Confederate statue issue
/ref> He said a better remedy would be to erect statues honoring people like Douglas Wilder, a former Virginia governor who was the nation's first African-American to be elected governor.


Economy

In September 2017 Gillespie called for a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut.


Education

Gillespie has called for the expansion of publicly funded schools that are operated privately.


Energy and environment

In a debate in 2014, Gillespie was asked by his opponent if he thought there was enough evidence to support
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. Gillespie at first dodged the question but when pressed again, answered, "I believe there is ample scientific evidence that contributes to climate change but I'm not entirely dismissive of those who have a different point of view." In September 2017 Gillespie supported President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the
Paris Climate Agreement The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...
. Gillespie supported President Trump's decision to repeal the
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Presidency of Barack Obama, Obama administration policy aimed at combating climate change that was first proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 201 ...
, which aimed to reduce emissions from
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
-burning
power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
s. Gillespie opposes efforts at the state level to limit carbon emissions. Gillespie opposes Virginia joining a so-called "state climate alliance" to mitigate the effects of climate change. Gillespie supports offshore drilling. In 2014 and 2017 he voiced support for the
Keystone Pipeline The Keystone Pipeline System is an Pipeline transport, oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010, formerly owned by TC Energy. It is now owned by South Bow, following TC Energy's spin off of its liquids business i ...
, Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and Mountain Valley Pipeline and criticized federal regulations that " lowdown the development of energy infrastructure."


Ethics laws

In his 2017 gubernatorial campaign, Gillespie pledged to push a ban on candidates using campaign funds for personal expenses, to require administration officials to wait at least two years before lobbying their prior office, and to require more frequent disclosures of potential conflicts of interest.Gillespie seeks ban on personal use of campaign funds and slower 'revolving door'
(Washington Post)

(Washington Post)
He also proposed prohibiting candidates from using funds raised for one campaign in a campaign for a different office; prohibiting fundraising during special legislative sessions; and live-streaming certain public cabinet meetings and all agency and board meetings. In response to criticism of his lobbying history, Gillespie's campaign said he and his wife would place their assets in a blind trust and that he would be "an honest, ethical, principled, hard-working, faithful servant-leader worthy of Virginia."


Guns

Gillespie has called for rescinding legislation that banned members of the public from carrying firearms in state government buildings. Gillespie is open to the idea of banning bump stocks, which allow a
semi-automatic firearm A semi-automatic firearm, also called a self-loading or autoloading firearm ( fully automatic and selective fire firearms are also variations on self-loading firearms), is a repeating firearm whose action mechanism automatically loads a follo ...
to fire in rapid succession.


Health care

In 2014, Gillespie said that he was opposed to the 2010
Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
(commonly called Obamacare), criticizing it for its "negative impacts" and stating that he would "repeal and replace it." In 2017, Gillespie said that he opposed Medicaid expansion and said that Virginia should create an
interstate compact In the United States, an interstate compact is a pact or agreement between two or more states, or between states and any foreign sub-national government. Description Most early interstate compacts resolved boundary disputes, but since the earl ...
allowing insurance providers to sell health insurance plans across state lines.Ready (or not) to choose Virginia's next governor? A guide to the race and issues
(Washington Post)


Immigration

In July and August 2017, Gillespie said that he opposes "sanctuary cities", which adopt policies designed to not prosecute people solely for being undocumented. In February 2017, he supported a bill that would prohibit localities in Virginia from enacting sanctuary policies. He has campaigned on tougher immigration enforcement. In September 2017, Gillespie said that he supported Donald Trump's executive order to ban immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. That same month, Gillespie, after initially declining to take a stance on Trump's decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)—which gives temporary stay to some unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as minors—Gillespie said that he did not "believe that children should be punished for decisions that were not their own, but at the same time, it is important for us to enforce our laws". Shortly after the Trump administration announced that it would rescind
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a Immigration policy of the United States, United States immigration policy that allows some individuals who, on June 15, 2012, were physically present in the United States with no lawful immigra ...
, Gillespie said that "dreamers" should not be deported. In his 2006 book, ''Winning Right'', Gillespie wanted to offer temporary work visas to undocumented workers in the US. Asked in 2017 if he still held that view, Gillespie said he did.


LGBT rights

In 2004, as chairman of the RNC, Gillespie opposed same-sex marriage and supported the Republican platform plank in support of constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. In 2014, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Gillespie renounced this position, saying he no longer supported such an amendment. In September 2017 he said he would oppose any legislation that would dictate which bathrooms that transgender individuals could use, such as the controversial North Carolina Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. Earlier, in January 2017, Gillespie did not take a firm position when the Virginia General Assembly was considering a bathroom bill, opting instead to criticize the Obama administration for mandating that public schools allow transgender students to use the restrooms of their choice while saying that localities should decide on the issue.


Marijuana

Gillespie opposes marijuana decriminalization because it "sends the wrong signal" to young people. Gillespie has called for changing the punishment for marijuana possession so that no criminal charges would be filed on the first two occasions that someone is caught with marijuana, but that the third time should carry criminal charges because by then "you really should know better."


Redistricting

In a 2017 gubernatorial debate with
Ralph Northam Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
, in response to a question about redistricting following the 2020 Census, Gillespie said that experience in other states showed that it was "hard to take the politics out of politics."


Restoration of rights

Gillespie favors restoring voting rights to felons "who have paid their debt to society and are living an honest life" but opposes a blanket restoration of rights to all felons. In the final weeks of the 2017 gubernatorial campaign, Gillespie began running an ad criticizing Democrats for restoring voting rights to more than 200,000 felons, including John Bowen, whose rights were restored based on his completing sentence for an earlier conviction while he was awaiting trial on a new charge of possessing one of the largest child pornography collections in Virginia's history.


Personal life

Gillespie met his wife Cathy at a congressional softball game and togetherEd Gillespie: Can a career tactician navigate Trump and a GOP civil war?
(Washington Post)
they have a son and two daughters.


References


External links


Official Gubernatorial Campaign Website

Quinn & Gillespie
* Chris Oakes,

" ''Wired'', March 4, 1998.

Statement of Edward Gillespie, executive director, Americans for Computer Privacy, March 4, 1999. * Ryan Lizza, "The Insider," ''New Republic'', June 19, 2001.
https://web.archive.org/web/20021030041000/http://www.tnr.com/073001/lizza073001_print.html
A look at the 2004 presidential field
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, January 1, 2003: Ed Gillespie joined "Crossfire" hosts James Carville and
Tucker Carlson Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American conservative political commentator who hosted the nightly political talk show '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News from 2016 to 2023. Since his contract with Fox News was term ...
. * Robert Novak,
Bush on the Hill
," Creators Syndicate, May 24, 2003. * Mike Allen,
Bush Picks Campaign Chief, RNC Chairman
, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', June 17, 2003. * Elisabeth Bumiller,
Fierce Defender of president to Lead Campaign for Court
, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', July 6, 2005. * Thomas B. Edsall,
Lobbyist to Campaign For Bush Court Nominee: Gillespie Choice Marks Bid to Use GOP Muscle
, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
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