A Better Plan Carried the Day Up and Down the Ballot
Published: November 16, 2008
Updated: January 5, 2009
Virginia is a fundamentally purple state.
For months, partisans and talking heads have been battling over whether Virginia is a blue state or a red state -- whether the commonwealth fits into one box or another.
Election Day's results send a clear message to Republican partisans that Virginia is no longer the solid red state of years gone by. But, despite the historic victories for Barack Obama, Mark Warner, and three new Democratic congressmen, the Nov. 4 results should not be interpreted as evidence of a permanent shift to "blue state" status.
The lesson of our victories is clear: Virginians don't care about red or blue; we care about results. And this year, the Democratic candidates had better results-oriented plans for middle-class families.
While their Republican counterparts provided an unending stream of partisan attacks, Obama and Warner focused on the issues that face middle-class families in Virginia. They showed up at more events, listened to more Virginians, and provided better answers for turning the economy around. Their resounding victories came not because they have a "D" attached to their names, but because they have a plan to move our commonwealth and our country forward.
Now that Virginia Democrats have come down from the celebration, it's time for us to turn our attention to commonsense governing. We will make sure that we continue to be the party of ideas and solutions, not partisanship and obstruction.
As we turn our focus to the future, here are five lessons that Virginia Democrats have learned from our 2008 campaign:
With a record of commonsense Virginia Democrats before him, President-elect Obama's bipartisan leadership style fit right in for Virginia voters. Meanwhile, Virginians saw an example of this bipartisan leadership style with Warner, who crisscrossed the state, picking up the endorsements of more than 600 Republican and independent elected officials.
And they didn't just go to "blue" areas; Obama kicked off his campaign in Bristol and made five subsequent stops to Southwest and Southside Virginia. By showing up and talking to Virginians about the challenges in our communities, Obama reached across traditional party lines and showed us that he would represent all Virginians.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Virginia ran a campaign that focused on our common interests, not the issues that divide us. We opened up campaign offices in solid "red" regions of the commonwealth, such as Wythe County (68 percent for Bush in 2004), Gloucester County (68 percent for Bush), and Page County (65 percent for Bush). In each of these three counties, Obama cut into the GOP presidential margin, while Mark Warner won all three counties by double digits. Instead of dividing the commonwealth, Democrats showed up, listened, and won votes in "red" and "blue" areas alike.
This year, both governors spent time out on the campaign trail, rallying volunteers, attending rallies and helping Democrats up and down the ballot. And their work paid off. The Democratic Party of Virginia's Coordinated Campaign joined the Obama campaign to knock on millions of doors, make millions of phone calls, and open nearly 70 offices statewide. According to exit polling, 50 percent of Virginians were contacted by an Obama volunteer, compared to 38 percent who spoke with a McCain volunteer. In short, Democrats' investment in party organization paid off in a ground game that helped deliver the election.
(Editors note: Republican Rep. Virgil Goode has not conceded the race to Perriello in the 5th District, though the Democrat maintains a lead there in the unofficial vote count.)
With the 2008 election in the books, Democrats ought to take a few days to acknowledge our achievements. The effects of the Nov. 4 victories will reverberate for generations of Virginians to come -- not just for me, but for my 11and 9-year-old boys.
But now comes the tougher task: governing. Remembering that Virginia will remain a fundamentally purple state, Democrats must continue to govern with common sense, to focus on results, and to fight for middle-class Virginians.
Former Del. Richard Cranwell is chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Contact him at (000) 000-0000 or
.
Advertisement
Advertisement