Down-ticket Democrats fight for attention

To many Virginia voters, the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general may seem like the obscure celebrities who appeared in those old credit-card commercials, uttering the line:

"Do you know me?"

Mike Signer and Jody Wagner may not be household names. But both want to be the party's nominee for the No. 2 job in Virginia.

As the only Democrat running for attorney general, Del. Stephen C. Shannon of Fairfax County already has been certified by the Virginia State Board of Elections as the party's nominee and will not appear on the ballot for the June 9 Democratic primary.

Although there have been a handful of debates and forums in recent months, the Democratic undercard has been overshadowed by the main event -- the well-publicized, high-dollar, three-way prizefight for the nomination for governor among state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County, former Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe of McLean.

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But that has not kept Signer and Wagner from running hard in recent weeks, racking up endorsements and taking the occasional swipe at each other and at Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who is seeking re-election.

On May 15, former lieutenant governor candidate Jon Bowerbank, a Russell County supervisor and businessman, suspended his campaign and threw his support to Wagner, who served as secretary of finance under Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and as state treasurer under then-Gov. Mark R. Warner.

Wagner also has picked up the endorsements of 49 of the 66 Democratic lawmakers in the General Assembly and the blessing of Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones.

Late last week, Signer, 36, of Arlington County, was endorsed by Leslie L. Byrne, who was the Democrats' 2005 candidate for lieutenant governor and the first woman elected to Congress in Virginia. Signer also has been endorsed by 26 labor unions representing transportation workers, the building trades and local sheriffs.

Wagner, 53, of Virginia Beach, lost a close congressional race in 2000 to Republican Edward Schrock in the 2nd District. In her campaign for lieutenant governor, she emphasizes her seven years of experience in state government.

Wagner said the government needs to do more to encourage economic development and small businesses, and that she would work to improve the graduation rate among Virginia high school students.

"I believe we need a lieutenant governor who will continue the Warner-Kaine legacy of success," said Wagner, a mother of four and a lawyer who runs her own gourmet popcorn business.

Signer, a University of Virginia law graduate and deputy counsel to Warner during his term as governor, said he wants to reinvent the lieutenant governor's job to be a public advocate, rather than a "stepping stone" for politicians seeking to be governor.

"I believe in the power of activism," he said. "We can do much more to ride herd on government and agencies and be a people's representative in a system that is failing them too often."

Signer, a newcomer to running for elective office, was senior strategist in the campaign of Democrat Tom Perriello, who defeated U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-5th, in November.

Signer said more needs to be done for Virginia's veterans and said job creation would be a top priority if he were elected.

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Shannon will face one of three men seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general. The Republicans convene this weekend in Richmond to choose their statewide candidates.

Shannon, a 38-year-old father of three and a former prosecutor in Fairfax County, has served in the House of Delegates since 2004.

"I want to make Virginia a safe place for all of our families to call home," he said.

Shannon said he would focus on economic security from financial and market scams; combating the organization and proliferation of gangs; and protecting Virginians from 21st-century security threats driven by technology, such as cyber crime and sexual predators on the Internet.

He said the job of attorney general "is not be an ideologue" or enforce the partisan will of a political party but to provide sound legal advice to the legislature and the agencies of state government.

But he did say he did not believe Virginia law should "criminalize women for the medical decisions they make" when it comes to abortion.

Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or .