A vigilant, civically engaged populace is critical to protecting democracy and keeping demagogues at bay, author Mike Signer told the World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond last night. Signer, an adjunct professor in Virginia Tech’s Master’s in Public and International Affairs Program, is the author of “Demagogue—The Fight to Save Democracy From Its Worst Enemies.“

Mike Signer, an author and former Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, tonight discusses “the fight to save democracy” at the World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond. Signer, an adjunct professor in Virginia Tech’s master in International Affairs program, is the author of “Demagogue—The Fight to Save Democracy from its Worst Enemies.“

How do you value an e-mail from President Barack Obama endorsing your candidacy? “Priceless,“ joked Jean Cunningham, chairman of the State Board of Elections. But did it cost $1,000? That’s the question the State Board of Elections will have to decide in the campaign world of e-mail. If the cost is $1,000 or more, a campaign committee theoretically could be subject to a fine for not filing an independent expenditure report.

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.

Democrats will nominate their statewide ticket in a primary set for June 9. Republicans will gather in Richmond next Saturday to nominate their ticket and to attend to other matters. Former Attorney General Bob McDonnell will win the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination by acclamation. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling will have little trouble securing renomination. The race for the nomination for attorney general is contested. Experts consider State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli the frontrunner. John Brownlee, a former federal prosecutor from Roanoke, is making a spirited charge. Dave Foster—a former member of the Arlington School Board—rates as a long shot. Any of the three would give the slate regional balance, which may or may not be of importance in the so-called new Virginia. We will not endorse until the general election.

Jon Bowerbank, who pumped nearly $1 million of his own money into the Democratic contest for lieutenant governor, is pulling out and backing perceived front-runner Jody Wagner. Bowerbank, a member of the Russell County Board of Supervisors, said yesterday that responsibilities to his family and business prevent him from pressing on to the June 9 primary.

The three men seeking the Democratic nomination for governor stopped in South Richmond last night to discuss jobs, education, health care and their support for restoration of felons’ voting rights. More than 150 local residents, city politicians and campaign operatives gathered at the Southside Community Services Center on Hull Street for a forum sponsored by the Richmond Crusade for Voters. The predominantly black voter-mobilization group traditionally has supported Democratic candidates.

Wow. The reaction occurred during a conversation yesterday between the Editorial staff and Mike Signer, candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. The night before, Signer attended the annual action meeting of Richmonders Involved to Strengthen Our Communities (RISC). The commitment manifested by the approximately 1,000 attendees at a Good Shepherd Baptist Church impressed him. A veteran of think-tank conferences drawing a handful of experts and poseurs, Signer applauded a meeting in which real citizens joined community leaders in talking about public policy.

A recent item in Political Dispatches—a premium e-mail product of The Times-Dispatch—discussed the literary and scholarly background of Mike Signer, candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Signer is an expert on national security; his Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies has earned strong reviews from reputable critics. Political Dispatches concluded:

The Democratic Party of Virginia has certified Mike Signer as a candidate for the nomination for lieutenant governor despite the fact that some of his qualifying petitions were in error. This came Tuesday after the State Board of Elections advised C. Richard Cranwell, chairman of the party, that a notary public made the error, not the Signer campaign, so the Signer campaign should not be penalized.