Creigh Deeds makes his case

All across our commonwealth, hard-working families are struggling to make ends meet. We all have friends and neighbors who have lost their job, seen their hours cut back, or watched their college or retirement savings disappear. A financial meltdown, coupled with tightening credit and soaring unemployment rates, has left the middle class in a crisis of confidence.

That's why the most important job of the next governor of Virginia is to restore public confidence in the economy. Of all the candidates this year, I'm the best prepared to lead us forward in the mold of our last two successful governors, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.

It's clear that the Republican nominee, Bob McDonnell, has the wrong vision for Virginia's future. He's spent his entire career fighting for the special interests, and he continues to stand by his heartless call for Virginia Republicans to reject stimulus money to help laid-off Virginia workers get back on their feet. On nearly every major issue, McDonnell stood up against the progress we've made during the Warner-Kaine years, and he's even proud of his obstructionism.

That progress -- making the largest investment in K-12 edu cation in our state's history and expanding pre-K education so our children come to school ready to learn -- was at the top of my agenda as a leader in the Senate.

Earlier this year, all of those accomplishments were in danger of being rolled back because of this economic crisis. That's why I refused to walk away during this last legislative session. Some said it was foolish for me give up 46 days of campaign fundraising to stay and fight in the Senate for Virginia's working families, but it wasn't even a close call for me. Nothing is more important than protecting Virginia families during this crisis.

I put public service before my campaign and proudly stood with Gov. Kaine to protect education, create new energy jobs, and partner with President Obama to get our economy moving again.

I'm ready to restore confidence in the economy and to invest in working families with an agenda that protects our most important priority: our children, their education, and the opportunities they need in every corner of Virginia.

That's why during this campaign, I've put forward a 10-year plan to create an additional 70,000 twoand four-year degrees to make higher education affordable and accessible to every Virginian. My Better Schools, Better Jobs initiative guarantees student loans for every Virginian attending a state school and expands capacity at our community colleges and four-year schools. I'm committed to the idea that by the end of my four-year term as governor, cost will not be the barrier for Virginians who want to pursue their dream of higher education.

As governor, I will create the smartest work force in the world right here in Virginia and bring high-skill, high-paying jobs to the commonwealth. The first step is to invest in a statewide system of transportation to unblock the avenues of commerce and get Virginia's economy moving again. My transportation plan will be innovative in approach, long-term in scope, and statewide in perspective. We can't continue to pit one part of the Virginia against another. I'm the only candidate in this race who can bring rural, suburban, and urban legislators to the table to finally provide real investment in our statewide system of transportation.

I was proud to start this important work earlier this year, when I stood with Gov. Kaine to announce Virginia's largest single investment in passenger rail from Richmond to D.C. and from Lynchburg to D.C., which will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and take thousands of cars off the road.

I also want Virginia to be the leader in renewable and alternative energy-based research. It's not a question of whether this research is going to take place, it's a matter of where, and wherever it takes place there is going to be an enormous opportunity for economic growth. I think the good-paying jobs of the future should come here to Virginia, and energy research can build Virginia's next economy.

In order to keep Virginia moving forward, our Democratic nominee must be able to go toe-to-toe with Bob McDonnell in every corner of the state. I've been in public office for 22 years now and my record of leadership and consensus building attracts support from Democrats, independents, and even some Republicans. I'm the only candidate for the Democratic nomination who -- like Mark Warner -- can build the broad coalition needed to win a statewide election.

As governor, I won't walk away from my commitment to the middle class. I will stay and fight for Virginia's working families the same way I stood with Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to protect education and invest in our future. Every single day, Virginians will have a governor who is on their side with the experience and vision to keep us moving forward.