STATE  OFFICIALS  IN  VIRGINIA, 2000

The information given on this page was current in the legislative year of 2000.  It is retained here for historic reasons, looking at the position of tobacco in Virginia's health and history, and the politicians who have worked to advance the causes of tobacco over the health of the people.

Governor James Gilmore, called "Nicotine Jim" by Virginia GASP<>

Lt. Governor John Hager, retired tobacco company executive, owning stock in both American and British tobacco companies.

Attorney General Mark Earley, like Gilmore and Hager, has accepted thousands of dollars from the tobacco industry.  Earley has written articles and given speeches about stopping college students from drinking alcoholic drinks, and encouraging people to help children.  But he has not yet worked to enforce Virginia's laws to protect people from secondhand smoking, nor has he worked to encourage universities, restaurants, and other places to go smoke-free.

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If you wish to
     "follow the money"

you may look up the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General,
as well as the 140 Virginia legislators,
on the Virginia Public Access Project web site.
Each of  the three state officials has more than one campaign fund, including Inaugural funds, and special fundraising political action committees.  These are listed at the Virginia Public Access Project web site.

For in-depth political and legislative coverage of these officials, including a succinct listing of their biographies, campaign contributions, and economic disclosures, see copies of editions of The Almanac of Virginia Politics.

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Even though Governor Gilmore, Lt. Governor Hager, and Attorney General Earley, are aggressive "pro-life" politicians, none of them thus far has supported efforts to enforce the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act, nor have they supported bills which would:

• strengthen the protections in that Act by
• protecting the health of the fetus,
• as well as the health of pregnant women,
• children, and
• adults, and
• in addition providing an example for teenagers about not smoking in public because of the harm it would do to others.

An example of this is provided in the discussion of two bills presented in the early 1999 Virginia General Assembly session, where Gilmore opposed a bill to prohibit smoking in public rest rooms of restaurants, and had no position on a bill to prohibit smoking in ambulances.  In the 2000 session, Gilmore offered no position on a re-introduction of the no-smoking in restaurant rest rooms bill, which was again killed in committee.

Governor James Gilmore, Nicotine Jim, should not let his decisions on health and governing be influenced by the fact that:

• Philip Morris sponsored a fundraiser for Gilmore when he was a candidate for Governor, and the fact that
• Gilmore had owned several thousands of dollars in Philip Morris stock before becoming Governor (he then reported placing these in a "Blind Trust"), and the fact that
• Philip Morris helped pay for Inaugural travel and other gifts, and the fact that
• Gilmore has accepted thousands of dollars from the tobacco companies for several of his campaign funds; and the fact that
• Nicotine Jim while still Attorney General had filed, at taxpayer expense (how much was never disclosed) a supporting court brief in favor of the tobacco companies and their suit against the FDA, and the fact that
• as Governor he arranged a Tobacco Summit to show support for the workers in the tobacco industry.

Attorney General Mark Earley, and  Lt. Governor John Hager, all Republicans, also participated in the Tobacco Summit, and also have received thousands of dollars from the tobacco industry.

Referring to an additional $340 million to come to tobacco growers in Virginia through the state attorneys general settlement with the tobacco companies, Governor James Gilmore, Nicotine Jim, said:

"Throughout [the] intense negotiations my priority has been to protect Virginia's tobacco growers and quota holders.  Virginia tobacco growers and quota holders will see their first round of relief payments later this year."
Richmond Times-Dispatch, reporter Michael Hardy, July 31, 1999.

Gilmore, who, according to press reports, appears to be running for a federal office or post, has been silent regarding the victims of tobacco:

• those who used it and suffered and died, lied to by tobacco companies regarding the health risks including the risk of addiction;
• their families who have suffered the emotional trauma of losing a loved one, and the economic trauma of  a lost productive life;
• adults and young adults who daily suffer from environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace, where they shop, where they go to school or university;
• the children who suffer from environmental tobacco smoke in their homes, the family car, and their schools; and
• the unborn who are suffering even now from thirdhand smoke - smoke that  the mother is breathing in, or from the mother's smoking.

Lt. Governor John Hager

• is a retired tobacco executive from American Tobacco Co., and
• Hager, like Earley, is running for Governor.
• Hager has backed legislation to protect people riding in cars by increasing the regulations regarding seat belts.
• But he has not worked to help increase protections for children, adults, and the unborn to escape the deadly health effects of environmental tobacco smoke, nor to enforce the laws already in place.
• Like Gilmore and Earley, Hager has accepted many thousands of dollars from the tobacco industry, and
• Hager owns stock in both American and British tobacco companies.
• Like Gilmore and Earley, Hager participated in the Tobacco Summit, to help tobacco farmers and workers,
• but Hager, thus far, has done nothing to help the victims of tobacco.

Attorney General Mark Earley, is an aggressive "pro-life" politician, who, like Hager, is running for Governor, and who, like Hager and Gilmore, has taken thousands upon thousands of dollars from the tobacco industry.  This is surely a contradiction of "pro-life."  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use kills more people every year in the USA than are killed by alcohol, other drugs, automobile accidents, homicide, and suicide combined.  More than 400,000 Americans die each year of tobacco related illnesses, and an additional 60,000 adults and children die each year from environmental tobacco smoke related illnesses.    Earley:

• has lectured and written articles about his "Christian" principles, and
• about why college students should not drink alcoholic beverages.
• Yet Earley has not worked to make colleges and universities smoke-free, and thus a step closer to being drug-free, even though that would ultimately save lives.  Many college students suffer from  environmental tobacco smoke .
• Earley has done television commercials about adults helping children,
• but by his actions, Earley himself hypocritically supports tobacco abuse of children, adults, and the unborn.
• Earley did not even support two bills in 1999 to protect the public health by requiring no-smoking in ambulances, and in public rest rooms of restaurants.  He did not support the 2000 re-introduction of the no-smoking in restaurant rest rooms bill.

Hilton Oliver, Executive Director of Virginia GASP, has said:

"Apparently Mark Earley uses a balancing test with his Christian principles, and these prevail only where the political lobby isn't too strong."