Campaigning in Richmond yesterday, Sen. John McCain raised $800,000 for his presidential bid and revived his idea for a summer-long gas-tax holiday.

The Arizona Republican also drew loud applause from hundreds of supporters at the Richmond Omni when he said: "I will carry Virginia."

With gas prices exceeding $4 a gallon, the presumptive GOP nominee said a suspension of the federal tax on gasoline and diesel fuel would provide relief to low-income motorists.

Hours later, the campaign of Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, attacked the McCain proposal, saying it would take money from road-building jobs that could boost the economy.

The Illinois senator's campaign said McCain's gas-tax holiday would cost Virginia $188 million in lost tax revenues and 6,500 jobs and that the savings would be $28 for the average motorist.

McCain, responding to a question from the audience at the fundraising reception, said "it's not the answer to our energy problems, but I think I would rather give fixed-income Americans a little relief than build another bridge in Alaska."

The federal gas tax is 18.5 cents a gallon, McCain said. The diesel fuel tax is 24.5 cents a gallon.

"Talk to somebody who owns a couple of trucks, who makes a living from those trucks," he said.

McCain, accompanied by his wife, Cindy, spent about 3½ hours in Richmond, including a brief stop at Shockoe Espresso & Roastery, a coffeehouse in Shockoe Slip.

He was greeted there by a delegation of Republican supporters that included an old Richmond friend -- fellow Vietnam POW, Paul Galanti, and his wife, Phyllis. McCain greeted wait staff and customers and ordered a cup of coffee, which he didn't drink.

McCain's fundraiser featured a $10,000-per-ticket VIP reception, a $1,000-per-ticket luncheon of stuffed chicken, and a $2,300 photo opportunity/luncheon packet. Last night, McCain was to attend two more fundraisers, in McLean and in Washington.

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, master of ceremonies at the Omni, said the event raised twice as much as the campaign had planned. Many of Richmond's corporate elite, including a few supporters of former Gov. Mark R. Warner, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, paid to attend the luncheon.

Henrico County Sheriff Mike Wade, the county Republican Party chairman, was among an estimated 250 people who stood in line at the VIP reception to get a picture snapped with McCain and his wife and an American flag.

Attendees said the line was long and the opportunity was short -- a quick introductory handshake, an expression of support to the candidate and a smile for the camera.

At the fundraiser, McCain went out of his way to praise former Gov. Jim Gilmore, the Republican candidate running against Warner.

"We need him in the Senate," McCain said.

Cantor has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate for McCain. When McCain took questions from the audience, someone asked how his vice presidential search was going.

"It's basically a Google" search at this time, McCain said.

Some pundits and the Obama campaign say Virginia will be a battleground state this year. Obama began his general election campaign Thursday with appearances in Bristol and Prince William County, a sign that he plans to fight for Virginia's 13 electoral votes. The state has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Gilmore predicted that McCain will carry Virginia in November with a campaign focusing on national security, energy independence, taxation, and standing up for working people.

"I think I'm going to be right there and win the state also," said Gilmore, who begins the formal phase of his campaign today trailing far behind in the polls.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.

Staff writers Jeff E. Schapiro and Olympia Meola contributed to this report.