Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore told Politico he’ll join the Republican race for the White House in August, right before the party’s first primary debate – and right now, that puts him at No. 15 in terms of the amount of GOP candidates.
But add in Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, both of whom are due to launch their own runs in the coming days, and that means Gilmore would actually be the 17th candidate in the Republican Party, by the time he officially announces.
He acknowledged he doesn’t have the poll numbers to participate in the first Fox News debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6, but said he didn’t care.
“Fox and the RNC have set up a system that rewards people who are the most theatrical on television. That’s just not Jim Gilmore. I’m not willing to say things on TV to get that kind of exposure,” he said, to Politico.
Gilmore, who was governor during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on U.S. soil, said his main policy concern as president would be national security.
“I don’t think we’re addressing the threat to the country,” he said, to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “I bring to the table experience that others don’t have.”
