DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711020258

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   32 lines

FOCUS: THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL '97 JAMES GILMORE III

He is a stiff campaigner who rarely breaks into a smile, cracks a joke or makes a remark that isn't prepared. He's always serious, always working, always focused.

From the day he officially entered the race last spring, Gilmore's message has never varied. He would be the governor who would abolish the much-hated personal property tax on cars.

Business leaders scoff at the plan and call it shortsighted. But a lot of hard-working people like the idea of saving money, and they have propelled this son of a Richmond meat cutter into a strong position to become Virginia's 68th governor. ILLUSTRATION: GILMORE PHOTOS BY BETH BERGMAN NAKAMURA

FAR LEFT: Gilmore studies...

LEFT: Volunteers for the Gilmore campaign...

ABOVE: Schoolteacher Joe Emerson...

ABOVE: Trey Hardin,left...

ABOVE: A rainy afternoon at the Ford plant... KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE VIRGINIA

CAMPAIGNING CANDIDATES

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