Former Virginia governor sets up exploratory presidential campaign

RICHMOND, Virginia: Jim Gilmore, Virginia's former tax-slashing Republican
governor, on Tuesday took the first step in a long-shot bid for the
presidency.

Gilmore filed papers with the Federal Election Commission in Washington
to form the Jim Gilmore for President Exploratory Committee, said his aide, Matt
Williams.

Citing the absence of what he considered a true conservative, Gilmore
said in interviews last month that he would assess his own chances for a
presidential run.

Gilmore was elected governor in 1997, after promising to cut the
property tax that local governments in Virginia levy on personal cars and pickup
trucks. He was later ousted by Democrat Mark Warner after a legislative
stalemate over the cuts and soaring tax reimbursements, and the state was unable
to reconcile its budget for the first time ever.
He becomes the sixth
Republican to form an exploratory committee for 2008. Former Massachusetts Gov.
Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former
Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Sen. Sam Brownback also have taken the initial
step.

Little known outside Virginia, Gilmore was among the earliest
supporters of Texas Gov. George W. Bush's 2000 presidential quest, and Bush
rewarded Gilmore by appointing him chairman of the Republican National
Committee. Within a year, however, Gilmore left the job after disagreements with
senior White House staff.