Democratic, GOP tickets dash for votes

By: Tyler Whitley | Times-Dispatch
Published: October 31, 2009

ASHLAND -- The Republican statewide ticket rolled into the GOP heartland today, exuding confidence but urging stepped-up, get-out-the-vote efforts.

"Put up the last sign, talk to someone at the water cooler, send out another e-mail," gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell told about 75 Republicans crowded into the Homemades by Suzanne catering shop in Ashland.

The Democratic ticket spent most of the day in Northern Virginia, where Sens. Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb joined Deeds and his running mates. But Warner, feeling ill with the flu, left the tour after one stop.

The Ashland catering firm, which played host to GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin last year, provided elephant-shaped cookies with red, white and blue icing.

Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for attorney general, joked that "the Democrats are so desperate they're bringing Tim Kaine into Virginia to campaign."

Kaine, the governor of Virginia, is also chairman of the Democratic National Committee, a job that has taken him out of state many times. On Thursday Kaine was in New Jersey, where Gov. Jon S. Corzine is in a tough three-way re-election battle.

"Virginia matters, Virginia is important to the nation, change is on the way," said Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who lives in Hanover and has his political roots there.

Kaine is to join the Democrats' tour late tonight in Floyd County, southwest of Roanoke, for the Floyd Country Store's Friday night jamboree.

Like their Republican rivals, Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds, lieutenant governor candidate Jody Wagner and attorney general candidate Steve Shannon stressed the importance of getting out the vote on Tuesday, Election Day. They appeared at rallies in Woodbridge, Alexandria, Falls Church and Manassas.

Trailing in the polls and in fundraising, the Democrats are pinning their hopes on a late surge of more than 300,000 Virginians who voted for Barack Obama last year, helping to deliver Virginia for a Democratic presidential contender for the first time in 44 years.

"I wish Obama would come here one more time," said Del. Frank D. Hargrove Sr. of Hanover, reflecting Republican disdain for the new president.

The Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in Virginia politics, reported that McDonnell has a two-to-one edge over Deeds in last-minute large donations.

McDonnell took in $1.01 million in contributions of $5,000 or more between Oct. 21 and Wednesday, while Deeds took in $432,987, VPAP reported.

Deeds received $85,000 from the Democratic Party of Virginia while McDonnell took in $60,000 from four Virginia Beach-based real estate firms.

The national GOP chairman, Michael Steele, accompanied the ticket throughout the day to stops in Lynchburg, Waynesboro and Culpeper before the Ashland rally.

The Democrats usually spend the last Saturday of a statewide campaign hustling for votes in far Southwest Virginia. Deeds is making the first four stops of this year's swing. His campaign manager, Joe Abbey, and U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th, will do the rest of this year's stumping in the coal fields.

The message of the Republicans centered on job creation.

That can be done by keeping taxes low and regulations to a minimum, McDonnell said.

"We don't want big government, federal solutions," he said.