Former Gov. Jim Gilmore has endorsed Attorney General hopeful Bob McDonnell of Virginia Beach in his contest with Richmonder Steve Baril. Sayeth the Roanoke Times:
In a press conference outside the Henrico County courthouse, Gilmore called McDonnell “uniquely qualified” to hold the office that Gilmore himself occupied from 1994 to 1997. Gilmore served as governor from 1998 to 2002. “I’ve thought about it very carefully for a long time,” Gilmore said. “I’m absolutely convinced that Bob McDonnell is the man I want to endorse for attorney general.”
Baril’s response: The former governor “is repaying his political debts. … “Bob McDonnell is the career politician and is building his campaign on lots of endorsements.”
As a practical matter, do endorsements like these make a difference? Conceivably, there are voters out there who don’t know much about either McDonnell or Baril, but they know and trust Gilmore, so they’ll take his word for it. On the other hand, there are other people–yes, even Republicans–who don’t like Gilmore. Wouldn’t an endorsement of McDonnell sway them to vote for Baril? Are gathering endorsements really worth the trouble?