Possibly as remarkable as the political pairing in support of a tax-code change to renovate old schools is the range of good it would do, former Gov. and U.S. Sen. George Allen told the Richmond Crusade for Voters last night. It would be good for students, job creation, energy efficiency and taxpayers, he said. “I have yet to see an idea that covers so many bases—all bases” Allen said. “It’s a home run of an idea.“

With Democrats trailing late in Virginia’s contest for governor, former President Bill Clinton lent his star power to R. Creigh Deeds yesterday during a lunchtime rally for the party faithful. “Never underestimate this man,“ Clinton said of Deeds, who soundly defeated a Clinton friend, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, in a June 9 primary.

Former President Bill Clinton will journey to Virginia Tuesday to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, his campaign staff said today.

The Democratic candidates for governor talked unity yesterday, while Republicans went on the attack against new nominee R. Creigh Deeds. Flanked by the current governor and wearing the campaign stickers of the man who routed them in yesterday’s primary, Democrats Brian J. Moran and Terry McAuliffe pledged to unify behind Deeds and work to help him defeat Republican Bob McDonnell this November.

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds scored a come-from-behind victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary yesterday, setting up a rematch with Republican nominee Bob McDonnell. Deeds and McDonnell clashed in the race for attorney general in 2005. McDonnell won by 360 votes in the closest general election in Virginia history. Terry McAuliffe finished second, far behind Deeds and narrowly ahead of Brian J. Moran.

Brief power outages in Northern Virginia and a report of a gunman in Virginia Beach added drama to yesterday’s statewide Democratic primary. Otherwise, the day was marked by low turnout and little suspense once the polls closed. Returns soon showed that state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds and Jody M. Wagner won runaway victories to become the Democratic nominees for governor and lieutenant governor.

Terry McAuliffe called Creigh Deeds to concede at 8:06 p.m., little more than an hour after the polls closed. About 150 people gathered at an Arlington County hotel for the McAuliffe event.

Polls close at 7 p.m. as voters make their choice in a hotly contested Democratic gubernatorial nomination contest.

Terry McAuliffe is training his guns on R. Creigh Deeds in the finale to tomorrow’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, saying Deeds’ pro-firearms stance makes him unelectable against Republican Bob McDonnell. Deeds, responding last night at a Richmond rally, said: “Terry McAuliffe’s just desperate. And it’s just sad.“ McAuliffe, in a phone interview yesterday after an appearance at a black church in Hampton Roads, also said Deeds is weak for the fall campaign because he has backed higher fuel taxes for transportation improvements.

The Democratic candidates for governor sprinted toward the tape yesterday, moving from radio appearances to get-out-the vote rallies and using automated phone calls and television ads to gain the attention of potential voters. Brian J. Moran, a former delegate from Alexandria, shook hands at a church picnic in Henrico County before visiting his Richmond campaign office to call undecided voters and thank volunteers buzzing in and out with yard signs and encouraging words.

On Tuesday, Democrats will pick their nominee for governor, ending a primary campaign distinctive, in part, for the candidates’ few clear distinctions on issues. State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe of McLean and former Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria offer variations on a theme in their plans to boost the economy and education.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine calls it Virginia’s “32-year curse.“ Virginia has followed eight consecutive presidential elections by electing a governor of the opposing party a year later. Most recently, Democrat Kaine’s 2005 victory came a year after the re election of President George W. Bush, a Republican. “I used to think that [trend] was a coincidence,“ Kaine said earlier this year. He said he now thinks it’s a sign of “buyer’s remorse.“

On Tuesday, Democrats will pick their nominee for governor, ending a primary campaign distinctive, in part, for the candidates’ few clear distinctions on issues.

Republican Bob McDonnell talked schools. Democrats who want to take him on for governor talked about each other. While McDonnell backed charter schools, the Democratic primary fight took another nasty turn yesterday, with Brian J. Moran sharply attacking Terry McAuliffe and R. Creigh Deeds. In a fresh television commercial just days ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Moran presses questions about the origins of McAuliffe’s personal fortune and demeans Deeds for favoring higher fuel taxes for roads.

Lifted by a new poll showing him creeping ahead after trailing for months, R. Creigh Deeds is flooding Northern Virginia with mail and phone calls, challenging his rivals for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on their home turf. Terry McAuliffe of McLean and Brian J. Moran of Alexandria yesterday aimed new television commercials downstate and dashed through Richmond, seeking votes ahead of next Tuesday’s primary.