ROANOKE, Va. -- The U.S. Senate race in Virginia now includes two former governors -- Republican Jim Gilmore and Democrat Mark Warner.
Gilmore, who was governor from 1998-2002 and briefly sought the GOP nomination for president this year, made his candidacy official Monday, saying in a video that appeared on his Web site and on YouTube that "it's time for a change," Roanoke TV station WSLS reported.
Gilmore isn't deterred by those who would say Warner, a businessman who was governor from 2002-2006, is the early front-runner in the Senate race.
"I don't think the people of Virginia are going to want to elect Hillary Clinton president and I don't think they are going to want to send a United States senator to Washington to carry that kind of banner. I think they'll want to send a Republican," Gilmore told WSLS.
Warner's campaign was quick to react to Gilmore's announcement.
"Do (Virginians) want to be represented by someone with a record of fiscal irresponsibility and extreme partisanship, or do they want a U.S. senator with a proven record of bringing people together to get results and create real change?" the campaign said in a statement.
Gilmore called that statement "a bit shrill."
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