By Bruce Schreiner
The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Virgil Moore loves springtime on his Grayson County farm and ranch. There's tobacco to set and cattle to raise. But this spring, he'll try to cultivate political support instead.

The archconservative state senator will break in a new pickup truck, traveling Kentucky in his bid for the Republican nomination for governor.

"It'd be great for me just to go to the farm," Moore said. "But I feel a responsibility. This state's in trouble."

As his running mate, Moore selected Don Bell, a former Secret Service agent from LaGrange. Bell has made unsuccessful runs for state treasurer, state auditor and for Congress.

Moore, 69, is running on an anti-tax platform. He lambasts business taxes that he says make Kentucky noncompetitive with neighboring states.

Those taxes have run off jobs and hurt manufacturing, a main contributor to the state's financial downturn, he said. As governor, he would "surgically cut" taxes that hinder Kentucky's competitiveness.

"It's time for a positive approach to business," Moore said. "It's time for a recruiting governor to walk into the office and take charge and recruit business, recruit jobs and ... also bring in the revenue to cover critical needs of education, health care, disabilities, care for our foster children - things that we must do."

As a steadfast advocate for the trucking industry, Moore suggests lifting the sales tax on new trucks and parts. Restoring the trucking industry would make Kentucky more attractive to manufacturers, he said.

Moore said his 11 years in the General Assembly, plus his 23-year Army career, make him ready to occupy the governor's office.

"Somebody needs to be able to walk into the office, take charge, set the goals, start moving Kentucky forward," he said. "Start bringing businesses back to Kentucky. And have a different attitude, completely, and just exercise good leadership."

Moore is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University.

As a legislator, Moore said, he has had a hand in shaping budgets as well as economic development and rural water issues. He is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

His years in the Army gave him organizational skills he would apply to the executive branch, he said. Moore rose from private to major until his retirement. He then settled near Leitchfield.

Moore said he stepped forward as a candidate because he was dissatisfied with the other Republicans in the race.

He calls himself the most conservative candidate in the GOP field. He opposes abortion and supports the death penalty. He opposes legalizing video slot machines, saying it wouldn't be the economic bonanza for the state that its supporters claim it would be.

He also has been a loyal Republican foot soldier for years, having served as a county GOP chairman.

In 1991, Moore ran for state auditor, but became disenchanted with divisions with the Republican Party that year and quit campaigning. He finished second in a three-way primary race. Democrats swept the statewide offices later that year.

"I saw no future in winning a primary," Moore said. "I went home to set my tobacco and forgot about it, and never bought an ad or made another showing in the last month."

Moore acknowledges that he's lagging far behind other Republican candidates in fund-raising.

"I'm the guy coming from the bottom all the way to the top if I can," he said.

So far, he has raised about $3,000 - "Just enough to cover the bumper stickers and cards."

Moore said he'll bring a common man's touch to the campaign.