More than 20 small-business owners from central Virginia, including a former Barack Obama supporter, said yesterday that they think John McCain's low-tax policies would help small-business owners in Virginia and the rest of the nation.

"He knows that small companies made America grow," said Claudia Garcia Gonzalez, who, with her husband, runs a drywall company that employs 100 people.

Christy Swanson, who owns a Quinton-based company, said, "He understands the difficulties we face and the important role we play in Virginia's economy."

A Democrat, Swanson said she switched from Obama to McCain because McCain "is the strongest ally to America's small-business owners."

Obama is the prospective Democratic nominee for president. McCain is the prospective Republican nominee.

The small-business owners, most traditional Republican allies, gathered in a warehouse at Capital Interior Contractors at 3201 Rosedale Ave. to express reservations about Obama.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Bob McDonnell acknowledged that the economy, under President Bush, is not prospering.

Bolling said the situation would be worse under Obama's proposed tax policies.

"This plan [McCain's] will bring a much-needed shot in the arm to the national economy," Bolling said.

McDonnell said "a perfect storm" of economic conditions, including the subprime mortgage crisis and high energy prices, combined to dampen the economic policies of Bush.

McDonnell said small businesses have created 233,000 jobs in Virginia this year, while other sectors have been laying off workers.

Bolling endorsed McCain's proposal to drill for oil off Virginia's coast, if the state approves.

"We should drill here and drill now if we want to pay less at the pumps," he said. With the economy souring and the possibility of a recession looming, McCain and Obama made major addresses on economic policy yesterday.

Obama wants a second economic stimulus package, $50 billion. McCain said he would balance the budget by the end of his first term.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.