When then-Gov. Mark Warner announced his proposal for the largest tax increase in state history after the legislative elections of 2003, he broke a campaign promise. As a gubernatorial candidate two years earlier, War ner stressed that he would not raise taxes, appearing on television screens across Virginia proclaiming, "Let me set the record straight; I will not raise taxes."

For Mark Warner, breaking a promise that played a key role in his election has not, to date, carried any discernable consequences. Warner was praised by the editorial boards of several newspapers, received almost exclusively fawning press coverage, and left office with high approval ratings.

Gov. Tim Kaine appears intent on following the model set by his immediate predecessor in the Executive Mansion.

Like Warner, Kaine promised he would not raise taxes. Moreover, he made it a point to specifically reject raising taxes for transportation, declaring in his campaign advertisements that Virginia couldn't tax and pave its way out of gridlock.

Of course, Kaine broke that promise his first week in office, proposing a massive statewide tax increase for transportation.

His position on tax increases is not the only key commitment made by Candidate Kaine that has been discarded by Gov. Kaine. As a candidate, Kaine's campaign Web site proclaimed, "As the next Governor of Virginia, he will not propose any new gun laws." That promise went by the wayside earlier this year, when Kaine became the most prominent backer of a measure that would have regulated the sale of firearms between private individuals at gun shows.

LAST WEEK, Gov. Kaine reneged on the highest-profile commitment of his campaign. Kaine, a longstanding, well-documented opponent of capital punishment, pledged to uphold the laws of Virginia regarding the death penalty. During the 2005 campaign, Jerry Kilgore's campaign ran advertisements detailing Kaine's previous statements on the death penalty. In response, Kaine declared that, despite personal beliefs rooted in his religion, he would uphold his oath and impose the death penalty.

Using a pending case before the United States Supreme Court as a pretext, Kaine placed a blanket moratorium on all executions in Virginia on April 1, 2008. He was not required to do so by any court, and his decision pre-empted a pending petition before the Supreme Court for a stay.

There are countless legal reasons that Kaine's blanket moratorium on the executions was unnecessary and ill-advised, most of which were detailed by Attorney General Bob McDonnell when he expressed his opposition to Kaine's order. But, the potential legal consequences and implications of this decision are only one aspect of the problem with the governor's action. Its effect on the trust citizens have in their elected officials is another, and those consequences and implications are far more corrosive.

WHEN CAMPAIGNING for public office, candidates are expected to tell the voters what they believe and how they will act if elected. Although a campaign statement is not a signed, binding contract, voters have every right to expect those candidates to behave in office in a manner that reflects the positions, promises, and pledges made during the campaign.

When elected officials readily and inexplicably discard key promises made during their campaigns, they undermine the public trust. When editorial pages cheer on such behavior and apply positive labels to it, they are contributing to the same cynicism they so often decry.

The legislature, indirectly, has the ability to require that Kaine keep his promises on taxes and gun control, and has done so to date. It cannot, however, compel a governor to carry out executions.

The long-term verdict on whether Virginia will perform further executions during this administration remains to be seen. But, the long-term implications of having two Virginia governors in a row eschew key campaign promises with such ease will be felt for some time to come. Until we elect candidates committed to keeping promises, and until the breaking of promises is decried by voters and editorial boards, we can expect skepticism from voters and no real change in the way government behaves.
H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) is the majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates. Contact him at DelMGriffith@house.state.va.us.