Tim Kaine, George Allen campaigns intersect in Lynchburg

U.S. Senate candidates Tim Kaine and George Allen were both stumping in Lynchburg on Friday.

Kaine, a Democrat, and Allen, a Republican, both spoke to members of the agriculture community at the Agriculture and Forestry U.S. Senate candidate forum in Lynchburg on Friday.

Allen, a Republican, then made stops at Randolph College and Delta Star Inc., a designer and builder of medium-power transformers and mobile substations.

Kaine, at the ag forum, called on the House of Representatives to pass a long-term farm bill, like the Senate did last month, to guarantee greater economic certainty for farmers. He also shared his record of working together with Republican legislatures when he served as governor.

“We worked together to get rid of the estate tax and preserve open space because Virginia expects that of its legislators,” said Kaine. “In the Senate, I will be a partner with the president, whoever it is, for the good of the Commonwealth and the country. That’s how we will make progress on the issues that are important to agriculture.”

Kaine shared his experience visiting his grandparents’ farm as a child and committed his support for tax credits to ensure the preservation of family farms. Kaine went on to outline his balanced approach to debt and deficit reduction that would maintain essential support for farms in Virginia.

“I am the only governor in Virginia who left office with a smaller general fund budget than when I started. I know how to make cuts,” said Kaine. “But I firmly believe that if you only cut, you’re making a big mistake. If you take an all-cuts approach, you’re going to hurt drought relief and all kinds of programs that are important to the farming community.”

Allen began his day in Lynchburg by meeting with members of the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce at Randolph College. Topics discussed at the meeting included commonsense conservation and innovation to use energy more efficiently and save money; clean coal technology, oil and natural gas as well as advanced nuclear energy.

“I hear a similar concern from businesses large and small: Washington is creating uncertainty that discourages investment for economic and job growth,” said Allen. “Washington has especially created uncertainty with its deal last summer that cuts $500 Billion from national defense and risks eliminating 200,000 good-paying Virginia jobs. This job loss would send shockwaves throughout the Virginia economy. My top priorities include reversing these devastating cuts and helping provide certainty for job-creators with a more fair, simple and competitive tax system, more reasonable regulations, and more affordable and reliable energy solutions.”