Deeds would sign tax-increase bill

Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds said yesterday that if the General Assembly passes a bipartisan bill that includes a tax increase to fund Virginia's transportation needs, he will sign it.

But the state senator from Bath County said during an online chat at the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he would not sign a transportation bill that took money from education or other "general fund priorities" to finance the fix.

"People can look at my record and know that I'm willing to make tough choices," Deeds said during a 30-minute conversation that also touched on abortion, firearms legislation and President Barack Obama's impact on the Virginia election.

In 2008, Deeds voted to support a statewide transportation plan that included an increase in Virginia's gas tax. The plan failed to clear the House of Delegates.

Yesterday he was asked:

"If you're governor and you get a bill that funds transportation in some form of either general or non-general fund tax increase, will you sign it?"

Deeds said he is committed to working with the next General Assembly to "get past the obstructionist viewpoints that have blocked progress on the issue" and build consensus "around a series of ideas that allow us to fund transportation. And yes, I will sign that bill.

"What I will not do is take money away from existing general fund priorities," Deeds added. "My opponent has released a plan that takes $5.4 billion, essentially out of education, over the next 10 years. You won't see me with that kind of approach. Democrats and Republicans alike have said that kind of approach is dead on arrival."

Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, a former state attorney general, has proposed a dozen mechanisms to fund transportation, including privatization of Alcoholic Beverage Control stores and placing tolls on Interstates 85 and 95 to be paid by drivers entering Virginia from North Carolina. McDonnell says he opposes tax increases to fund transportation.

"I'll sign a bill that funds transportation," Deeds said. "I won't take money away from existing priorities. I won't take money away from education."

Deeds said his campaign "is not about social issues." But he sought to further flesh out the distinctions between his pro-abortion-rights stance and McDonnell's anti-abortion position, saying it reflects their different priorities. He attacked McDonnell's record as a member of the House of Delegates of pushing legislation that would have placed greater restrictions on access to emergency birth control.

"My opponent . . . introduced 35 bills during his 14 years in the legislature to restrict a woman's right to choose. Not only that -- on the issue of choice, on the issue of birth control there's a huge divide between us. He voted to restrict birth-control availability on college campuses," Deeds said.

"I think our records are very clear. I've been in the legislature 18 years. During those 18 years I've proven that I'm the one that trusts Virginia's women to make those decisions, consulting whoever they believe they need to consult with."

A cornerstone of Deeds' campaign has been to align himself with the legacies of former Gov. Mark R. Warner and current Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. But Deeds indicated that he would sign gun legislation that Kaine vetoed during the 2009 assembly session.

Deeds said he would sign a bill that would allow holders of concealed-weapons permits to bring concealed weapons into eating and drinking establishments, as long as the permit holders are prohibited from drinking alcohol in such situations.

He also said he would sign a bill repealing the law that restricts purchasers to buying one handgun a month, saying that studies have shown "it did not do much to slow the flow of firearms from Virginia." McDonnell holds the same position on both gun issues.

The one-gun-per-month law was a highlight of the administration of then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor. Wilder, a Democrat, has not said whom he will support in the general election.

Deeds lauded Wilder's accomplishments and service and said he would be "honored" to have Wilder's support.

The candidate also said that although he might not fully agree with all of Obama's policies, campaigning with the president will help more than hurt his chances in November.

"I think, in general, the president will be a big support, a big help for me," said Deeds, calling Obama "a once-in-a-lifetime leader."

Recent polls placed Deeds anywhere from 8 to 15 percentage points behind McDonnell.

"It's August -- there aren't a lot of people focused on this election," Deeds said.

"Politics is like life. . . . Be assured we've already planned our work and we're going to be working our plan in this campaign. I'm confident we're going to win and we're going to lead Virginia forward."

Readers were able to submit questions for Deeds on TimesDispatch.com and NBC12.com. Ryan Nobles, the station's political reporter and blogger, also wrote about the online chat in his Decision Virginia blog.

Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or jnolan@timesdispatch.com.