Although the presidential, Senate and congressional campaign trails have just concluded, the race for Virginia’s next governor has just begun.
As of Nov. 5 — the “pre-file” date by which all Virginia gubernatorial candidates must have declared their candidacy — State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville; Del. Brian Moran, D-46th District; Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) and Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman and Clinton campaign chair, are currently in the running for governor of Virginia.
Virginia for sale
McAuliffe spoke to University students Friday at the Darden School about the 2008 presidential election, politics and his plans for Virginia.
“My argument would be that you need a salesman as your governor,” McAuliffe said, noting that he would help to grow Virginia’s economy by bringing jobs and businesses into the commonwealth.
“We’ve got to instill confidence in the business community,” McAuliffe said.
Also on McAuliffe’s list for Virginia are high-speed rail, an expanded Metro system and pre-kindergarten education for all Virginians.
“Everybody in Virginia who wants to ought to be able to go to pre-K,” McAuliffe said. “We’ve got to be thinking about where you’re children will be 20 years from now.”
Though McAuliffe said he has not made a final decision about whether he is will stay in the race, if he does, he said he will go all out.
“If I did this, I would run ... and put something bold on the table,” McAuliffe said.
Good Deeds
For Deeds, education and transportation are also at the top of the priority list.
His “three big issues are building [a] 21st-century vision for transportation, making Virginia the capital of alternative energy research and retooling the community college system,” Deeds spokesperson Peter Jackson said.
Coupled with Deeds’ educational proposals, Jackson said Deeds also hopes to bring broadband Internet to all communities in Virginia in order to help Virginians prepare for jobs.
“[We would like to put] broadband Internet in every community so that we can make sure Virginians have ability to do [jobs] from anywhere,” Jackson said.
Along with campaigning, Deeds will also be fulfilling his duties as state senator in the General Assembly, which convenes Jan. 14. In the upcoming session, he plans to focus on a redistricting bill and budget concerns.
“He’ll be in the legislative session, fixing the economy and trying to get Virginia’s fiscal concerns in order,” Jackson said. “He will be back on the campaign trail in late February or early March.”
Overall, Jackson said Deeds looks to follow in the footsteps of recent Democratic gubernatorial predecessors and to maintain Democratic control in the commonwealth.
“He’s running to continue the [Mark] Warner, [Tim] Kaine brand of leadership,” Jackson said. “I think with Barack Obama’s historic win it only highlights the importance of making sure that we keep Virginia’s Democratic control and to use those electoral victories to help everyday folks who are struggling in this economy with jobs and making the right investments in education.”
New Democratic tradition
Gubernatorial candidate Moran will also be working at the upcoming General Assembly session while he campaigns.
Moran, who is currently the Virginia house Democratic caucus leader, has recently spent his time in the legislature focusing on a crackdown on child predators and fighting for more investments in higher education, Moran communications director Jesse Ferguson said.
As for his gubernatorial goals, Ferguson said Moran is focused on improving Virginia’s infrastructure and creating a 21st-century plan for economic competitiveness.
He has an “infrastructure plan that gets traffic moving on our roadways, expands mass travel and rail and better links land use planning with transportation,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said Moran also hopes to work on energy efficiency in the commonwealth.
Moran has a “major commitment to alternative and renewable energy ... [he wants to] reduce energy costs and preserve our environment,” Ferguson said, adding that Moran just recently led a charge for the environmentally friendly construction of buildings.
Up until the first day of the General Assembly session in January, Ferguson said Moran will be on the road campaigning.
“He will be on the road pretty much non-stop and will be demonstrating [the] support he has among local officials and leaders right up until the General Assembly session,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson noted that Moran looks to continue the tradition of the new Democratic gubernatorial leadership that began with Mark Warner.
“[He] looks at what is [the] new Democrat,” Ferguson said. It is a “tradition in Virginia that started with the election of Mark Warner and [he] wants to take the next step in it.”
A statewide leader
McDonnell, the sole Republican candidate, is looking to address the issues that affect Virginians and their families, said McDonnell Campaign Strategist Phil Cox.
“Over the course of his career he [has] developed a reputation for solving problems that help people ... He can reach across the aisle and get things done,” Cox said. He’ll continue that as governor, whether that’s issues dealing with the environment, healthcare or taxes.”
Cox said McDonnell, who is the official Republican candidate, will be running with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.
“I think having two statewide officeholders with experience, addressing challenges which face all Virginians is a great advantage,” Cox said.
In the upcoming weeks, Cox said McDonnell will be campaigning and working with Virginia Republican Party members to prepare for the gubernatorial race.
“There’s the annual Republican leadership meeting, [known as the] Republican Advance, that takes place [Dec. 5 to 7] at the Homestead,” Cox said. “That will be really the first opportunity for Bob to lay out some of the broader themes and issues that he’s going to be running on next year.”
Cox said he believes McDonnell’s experience as a statewide leader will help him in his campaign for the governorship.
“Of all four candidates, he is the only candidate who is a statewide officer holder and with that comes a lot of responsibility,” Cox said. “That also provides a unique perspective for the challenges facing Virginia.”
Blue... the new Red?
The gubernatorial race, especially the Democratic primary, will be an interesting test of how much Virginia’s party lines have shifted, said Dan Keyserling, University Center for Politics deputy director of communications and former Cavalier Daily executive editor.
“The Democratic primary will be very interesting, and I think the gubernatorial race will be a test to see exactly how Blue Virginia is becoming,” Keyserling said.
Keyserling noted that Virginia’s gubernatorial race may turn out to be an example of a more extensive shift throughout the greater South.
“If Virginia elects another Democrat as governor we will have another Democratic governor and two Democratic senators, which would tend to suggest a statewide shift to the left,” Keyserling said. “That’s significant not only in the political history of Virginia but also in the broader political history of Virginia as part of the South.”
Keyserling also noted that while local races, such as those for governor, may seem like they do not have a large effect on the greater scope of politics, they can.
“It seems like gradual changes but those gradual changes can develop over time to reshape American politics,” Keyserling said.
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