Obama helping Deeds’ campaign for governor
Democrat R. Creigh Deeds, trailing in the polls, is getting a late push from President Barack Obama, with a new TV ad, an email plea and an appearance in Hampton Roads slated for a week before Election Day.
Deeds, a state senator from Bath County and the Democratic nominee for governor, hopes the infusion will reignite voters who helped Obama become the first Democratic presidential candidate in 44 years to carry Virginia.
The flurry of activity came as a new poll showed Republicans leading by double digits in all three statewide races.
The Deeds campaign released details of the president's Tuesday event at Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Center on the heels of a new TV ad in which Obama encourages Democrats to help elect Deeds as governor.
The Obama footage comes from his Aug. 6 fundraiser with Deeds in Fairfax County.
"I need every one of you to get fired up once again so that we can go towards the future, with Creigh Deeds leading the great commonwealth of Virginia," Obama says.
Later yesterday, the president sent an e-mail to his Virginia supporters, saying: "We've worked too hard and come too far to let Virginia slip back."
The Deeds campaign hopes the president's visit to Hampton Roads -- which Obama carried by 79,000 votes last year -- will energize voters along the Richmond-Norfolk corridor, including black voters and young voters who were key parts of Obama's Virginia coalition.
Deeds' opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, spoke to the Virginia Chamber of Commerce in Richmond yesterday afternoon. Afterward, the former state attorney general said he's ready for the presidential push.
"Obviously the president is an incredibly gifted communicator," McDonnell said. "He's certainly a very passionate advocate for Creigh Deeds, and I'm sure that'll have some impact.
"Surrogates and advocates are helpful, but I think mostly people want to care about what does the candidate stand for and what are they going to do to improve the quality of life for Virginians," McDonnell said.
Deeds led McDonnell in Hampton Roads by just 1 percentage point in a Richmond Times-Dispatch poll conducted Oct. 6-8 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. McDonnell has long ties to the area. He represented Virginia Beach in the House of Delegates from 1992-2006.
In the new statewide poll, released by Public Policy Polling, McDonnell leads Deeds 52 percent to 40 percent, up from his 5-point edge three weeks ago.
In the race for attorney general, state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, leads Del. Stephen C. Shannon, D-Fairfax, 52 percent to 37 percent. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who is seeking re-election, leads his Democratic opponent, Jody Wagner, 49 percent to 39 percent.
The pollster surveyed 666 likely Virginia voters from Friday to Monday. The survey's margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
Also yesterday, McDonnell picked up the support of former Republican state Sen. Brandon Bell, who had endorsed Deeds earlier in the general election but said he is switching to McDonnell because of his job-creation and economic plan. Bell represented a Southwest Virginia district in the General Assembly.
Contact Andrew Cain at (804) 649-6645 or .
Staff writer Olympia Meola contributed to this report.
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Reader Reactions
All the rhetoric doesn’t change the fact that Virginian’s don’t want McDonnell’s promise of a liquor store on every corner and a gun in every hand. Deeds is closing in on McDonnell because of these unpopular perspectives.
More Virginians are learning where McDonnell’s campaign money comes from:
McDonnell supports privatization of Virginia’s liquor industry. As a result, he has received over a half million dollars from the alcohol beverage, hotel, and recreation industries with $215K alone from alcohol beverage distributors including $55K from Premium Distributors of Va LLC, $50 from the Va Beer Wholesalers Assn, $26K from Silver Eagle Distributors LP, and $25K from Associated Distributors/The Charmer Sunbelt Group.
See http://www.vpap.org/committees/profile/money_in_industry2/1581?sector=3
McDonnell also supports a loophole in gun registration that has allowed terrible tragedies in Virginia, most notably at Virginia Tech. The NRA has spent well over a half million dollars on advertising in support of McDonnell’s support for the gun regulation loophole.
Virginian’s don’t want McDonnell’s promise of a liquor store on every corner and a gun in every hand.
If you want more of this so call, “CHANGE” which was promised us along with the soaring deficit and high unemployment, along with the name calling which is so tipical of the Liberal Democrat Party…. than I suggest that you vote for Deeds.
However, for me… I am not falling for it as I am tired of the high deficit spending; Unemployment which was not suppose to go over 8%; forced health care; BIG Government, and UnAmerican people who are self proclaim Socialist who call themselves Czars….
Where are the JOBS which were promised? AND please do not tell me that 30,000 jobs will cut the mustard.
My vote will go for McDonnell.
Mikey, are you alright? Your posts are getting further and further out there lately. You’ve got to ask yourself whether such statements are a reflection on the subjects of your posts or on yourself. Nobody I know is a mindless automoton, voting this way or that because they were told to by some politician in Washington. Maybe take time to soak up some reality. I hear it’s good for your world view.
It’s a little much to say Our Dear Leader is helping Deeds. He has granted this special audience for Deeds so He can wave his blessed hand over the minorities in the Tidewater, drug them with his extraordinary words of deficits and government control—uh, I mean, hope—and watch them follow Him like The Pied Piper, eyes glazed over, mouth agape, chanting in a monotone voice,
“I must vote for Deeds/
even though he’s white/
because Our Dear Leader/
told us to do so.
I vote for the glory of Our Dear Leader”
Mr Deeds should spend more time articulating what he will do for Virginia rather then allowing Obama to remind us all what he is doing TO America.
Inviting Obama today is akin to inviting the Swine Flu into a kindergarten class.
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