Former Gov. Jim Gilmore's U.S. Senate bid got a shot in the arm today when Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell — potential Republican rivals in the 2009 gubernatorial race — endorsed him.

"He is one of the most consistent and principled conservative leaders I have ever known," Mr. Bolling said. "Jim Gilmore knows what he believes in, and he fights for it, when it's easy and when it's not. That's the kind of leader we need representing us in the United States Senate."

Mr. McDonnell dubbed Gilmore "a fiscal conservative" and "a tireless advocate for lower taxes, reduced federal spending, and the elimination of excessive government regulations."

Mr. Gilmore will fight for the Republican nomination against Delegate Robert G. Marshall, Prince William County Republican, at the party's convention in late May.

Former Sen. George Allen, who remains extremely popular in the party, has yet to endorse either man.

However, Mr. Marshall received a much needed bump in his candidacy after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the General Assembly's decision to delegate taxing powers to unelected bodies in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

Since then he has won numerous headlines, helping him rally parts of the party's conservative base around him.

The winner will go on to face the deep pocketed and popular former Gov. Mark R. Warner in the November election — the same day the country names a new president.

— Seth McLaughlin, Virginia reporter, The Washington Times