Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore is the last in our series (which ended up being 21 parts. That's a lot of people running. 23 people declared, and we detailed 21 of them here. Not too bad). Mr. Gilmore served one term as Governor of Virginia, from 1998 to 2002, as he could not serve consecutive terms due to the Virginia Constitution. He has been out of political office since that time, although he briefly explored running for President in 2008 (he dropped out pretty soon after declaring) and ran for a seat in the Senate for Virginia in 2008 (he ended up losing the general election), but has decided to jump back in for the 2016 Presidential race. Prior to serving as Governor, he served in the United States Army as a Counterintelligence Agent during the Vietnam War. He also was the Attorney General of Virginia immediately before being elected Governor, and served as the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) for one year during his tenure as Governor. Mr. Gilmore received both his Bachelor's degree and his J.D. from the University of Virginia.
- Pro-choice, stating that although he does not agree with abortion, the practice should not be outlawed up through the eighth week of pregnancy. He did sign bans of partial birth and late term abortions into law as Governor, and implemented other pro-life initiatives such as instituting a 24 hour waiting period, parental notification, and informed consent.
- Opposes same-sex marriage, stating in 2007 that he believes that traditional marriage values are the right values for America.
- Supports the use of the death penalty as a deterrent to heinous crimes, such as murder.
Economic
- Opposes raising the minimum wage at this time, stating that the economy is "stagnant."
- Supports simplifying the tax brackets to three brackets of 10%, 15%, and 25%, and supports a family tax credit of $4,300 for any family that is living in poverty.
- Supports decreasing the corporate tax rate to 15% and eliminating the death tax.
- Opposes a Balanced Budget Amendment.
Domestic
- Opposes President Barack Obama's health care reform, stating that he will repeal it upon election. Instead supports a plan that allows health insurance to be sold across state lines, promotion of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and an income adjusted health insurance premium credit.
- Strongly opposes Common Core national education standards, stating that education is a local function.
- Strongly supports the right to bear arms, including strongly opposing any ban on assault rifles and requiring every state and DC to honor every other state and DC's concealed carry laws. He is a member of the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Board of Directors.
- Supports capping benefits to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, and has also expressed support for the privatization of Social Security.
- Opposes the legalization of marijuana.
- Opposes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here, stating that the "only path to citizenship for illegals currently in our nation is a path back across the border."
- Supports stronger border security, stating that he will get every illegal immigrant who is a criminal out of the country and that he will also not allow cities to be "sanctuary cities" anymore.
- Believes that climate change is real and believes that we should act as conservationists, which is to "preserve our air and water quality and to protect important wildlife from extinction."
Foreign
- Believes in "Peace through Strength," which has been a long standing belief in the Republican Party beginning with President Ronald Reagan’s campaign in 1980 (the basic premise is that “[being] prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace” –President George Washington).
- Believes the United States has a moral obligation to lead the world.
- Supports a strong relationship with Israel.
- Opposes the nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama with Iran, and instead supports creating a NATO-like alliance with Israel and Saudi Arabia against Iran.
- Believes that United States is not currently capable of protecting its national security due to the fact that the "threats to America are growing and outpacing defense and intelligence spending and planning."