The three Democratic candidates for Virginia governor will hold five debates and make three joint appearances throughout the state in the weeks leading up to the June 9 primary. The announcement came in a joint news release issued by the campaigns for Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County; Terry McAuliffe of McLean, former Democratic National Committee chairman; and former Sen. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria. The campaign managers for the candidates promised “spirited debates on the important issues facing Virginians.“

Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe is not only raising the volume of the gubernatorial contest. He is also raising the bar. McAuliffe is rolling out a series of position papers on energy and business that go well beyond the typical two-page brochure full of bromides. This is not to say they eschew bromides; they include plenty. But they include more than mere bromides. In this day and age, that’s commendable.

Terry McAuliffe, a Democratic candidate for governor, says job creation shouldn’t be a taxing experience for business. Traveling yesterday to Danville, where unemployment is 16.8 percent, he outlined a pilot program under which the state would provide tax relief for firms that generate new jobs in ailing areas. McAuliffe said Virginia should help such businesses pay their federal payroll taxes for hiring more workers or raising employees’ salaries.

Dear Parents . . . Dear Parents . . . The hope, energy, and laughter that Terry generates when he’s out on the campaign trail is contagious.—Start of an e-mail message from the gubernatorial campaign of Terry McAuliffe.

. . . Dear Parents, We are writing to inform you of a health issue that has arisen in several schools throughout the Central Virginia area. A number of school systems in the region—including Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, Powhatan, Goochland, and Chesterfield—have reported cases of students coming down with a form of mild hysteria.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said he would emphasize tax incentives to encourage re newable energy. His “Business Plan for Virginia,“ announced yesterday at a news conference in Richmond, would establish a $100 million energy-independence revolving loan fund to retrofit homes with energy efficient equipment and take steps to reduce state government’s use of fossil fuels. McAuliffe said the economic decline would force him to phase in the loan fund.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said today Virginia needs to provide tax incentives to encourage the development of jobs-creating renewable energy programs.

IIn a recent sit-down with the Editorial staff of this newspaper, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was asked for his thoughts on education. McAuliffe heaped praise on Gov. Tim Kaine’s efforts to expand pre-kindergarten. He advocated smaller class sizes in kindergarten through the third grade. Spending more money on the front end, he said, would save money in later years. He noted that teacher salaries in Virginia lag behind the national average, and suggested higher pay—along with assurances of teacher quality.

Terry McAuliffe doesn’t need the money, but he wants the job. The boisterous multimillionaire national political operative yesterday formally entered the Democratic contest for governor, concluding a five-month campaign strip tease.

Brian J. Moran and R. Creigh Deeds, rivals for the Democratic nomination for governor, are collecting fresh endorsements in vote-rich Northern Virginia. A top strategist for Terry McAuliffe, who is readying to make it a three-way primary, said some Virginians are expressing “buyer’s remorse” in backing McAuliffe’s opponents. Moran, a former delegate from Alexandria, returned yesterday to Arlington County, where he started in politics 20 years ago as a junior prosecutor, to pick up the backing of nearly a dozen elective officials.

As a governor of Virginia prepares to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee, a former chairman of the DNC is gearing up a campaign for . . . governor of Virginia. As they travel I-95 in opposite directions Tim Kaine and Terry McAuliffe can toot their horns in recognition.

The declining economy is having a trickle-down effect on the Democratic contest for Virginia governor. The three rivals for the party’s nomination—to be decided in an open-to-all-voters primary June 9—said last night that economic recovery is essential to protecting state jobs and services from further cuts. Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath, former Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria and former Democratic national chairman Terry McAuliffe of McLean appeared on WVTF-FM’s “Evening Edition.“

The four men vying to be Virginia’s next governor traded just a few jabs yesterday afternoon as they sought to distinguish themselves in their first joint appearance. The three Democratic candidates and one Republican agreed on this much at the annual Associated Press Day at the Capital, held at the Richmond Times-Dispatch: New taxes for transportation are not in the cards amid the state’s economic turmoil.