Gubernatorial hopefuls have similar platforms

By Brian McNeill
Media General News Service
Published: November 17, 2008

Now that the dust is settling on this year’s election, candidates running in next year’s Virginia governor’s race are prepping for an intense statewide race.

On the GOP side, Attorney General Bob McDonnell is unopposed for his party’s gubernatorial nomination. For the Democrats, both Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County and Del. Brian Moran of Alexandria have announced their candidacy. A third contender, Terry McAuliffe, a McLean resident and former Democratic National Committee chairman, is also considering jumping into the Democrats’ primary race.

Deeds, 50, who has represented the Charlottesville area in the state Senate since 2002, said his top priority would be to boost economic growth in Virginia and to find a way to fund transportation projects in all corners of the state. His long experience in the General Assembly, he said, gives him an edge over his rivals in accomplishing such a goal that has eluded former Gov. Mark R. Warner and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

“I’ve been in Richmond for 17 years,“ said Deeds, who served in the House of Delegates before the Senate. “I know the process inside and out. I’m confident that I could come up with a plan and strategy that would work.“

Deeds is the only Democrat in the race who is not from Northern Virginia. He best understands the challenges facing the state’s rural areas, he said, while understanding the importance of economic vitality in Northern Virginia.

Deeds added that he wants to position Virginia to take advantage of the emerging alternative energy economy. If elected, he said, he would aim to boost research and growth of biodiesel, wind, solar, tidal, clean coal and nuclear power.

“The research of our energy future has to take place somewhere,“ he said. “I say we lead. Because if we lead, we can create a new energy economy and bring the best jobs to Virginia.“

If chosen as his party’s nominee in the June 9 primary, Deeds would almost certainly face a familiar foe in the general election on Nov. 3. McDonnell beat out Deeds by a mere 323 votes in the 2005 attorney general’s race. Deeds says he’s ready for a re-match.

“I’ve proven I can go toe-to-toe with that guy,“ he said, adding that McDonnell benefited from a surprise cash infusion of $2.5 million in the last nine days of the race. With a well-funded gubernatorial campaign, Deeds said, he is confident he could defeat McDonnell this time around.

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Moran, 49, a 12-year veteran of the House of Delegates, says he is the candidate who best fits the leadership style of Warner and Kaine. As chairman of the House Democratic Caucus since the beginning of Warner’s term, Moran said he has played a role in policy discussions over key initiatives during both administrations.

“It is essential that we continue to make progress that was started under Mark Warner and Tim Kaine,“ Moran said. “I’ve been in the room and helped influence those decisions.“

If elected, Moran said, he would push to continue expanding pre-kindergarten programs and higher education investment; he would aim to make Virginia a leader in environmental protection and job growth fueled by alternative energy research; and he would seek to increase investment in the state’s infrastructure, including road and transit projects across Virginia, as well as rural broadband in places such as Nelson County.

Moran would manage to achieve new statewide transportation funding, he said, because he is willing to reach across the political and regional divides.

“We must forge that consensus,“ he said. “I have a history of reaching across the aisle.“

As an example of his bipartisanship, Moran cited the example of “Alicia’s Law,“ a bill that he co-sponsored earlier this year with Republican Del. Beverley Sherwood of Winchester. Named after a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and tortured in a Virginia basement, the bill sought to strengthen the state’s network of law enforcement units targeting child sex offenders over the Internet. Deeds sponsored a bill to fund the initiative in the Senate.

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McAuliffe, 51, who has an extensive background in business and national politics, said his lack of experience in Richmond might be an asset as Virginia’s governor. He would bring a fresh approach, he said, of big ideas to promote Virginia as a top state for doing business. By attracting companies from other parts of the country and overseas, he said, he would help Virginia’s economy grow.

“I would bring a big approach,“ he said. “I would bring a sales approach. I would be the state’s chief salesman to convince businesses to come to Virginia.“

McAuliffe has not yet decided if he will run, saying he is first visiting all parts of Virginia and listening to residents before making a decision in January.

If McAuliffe does decide to run, he said, his priorities would be to continue with Kaine’s goal of universal pre-kindergarten education; as well as funding transportation projects, including roads, railways and ports; and establishing “enterprise zones” that he envisions as sections of Virginia that have expedited land use processes and other pro-business attributes.

“It’s not whether I could win or not,“ McAuliffe said. “For me, it’s about whether I could get things done.“

McAuliffe added that if he is chosen as the Democratic nominee for governor, he would help finance the party’s other 2009 races for lieutenant governor and attorney general, as well as races for the House of Delegates and local office.

With two Northern Virginia candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, Moran and McAuliffe might split the region’s vote, possibly benefiting Deeds, said Mark Rozell, a politics expert at George Mason University.

“It could certainly help Deeds,“ he said.

Whichever candidate the Democrats choose to face McDonnell, the GOP will have an advantage, he said. The Republicans are unified, while the Democrats are heading to an expensive and long primary election.

“The Republicans can aim their fire at the Democrats, while the Democrats are having an intraparty battle for their nomination,“ he said. “It could be a drawn out, expensive battle that leaves the Democratic Party drained.“

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McDonnell, 54, a Virginia Beach native who calls himself a “solid conservative,“ said he plans to focus on transportation, low taxes, affordable college tuition and health care.

“We intend to run a campaign based on issues and ideas,“ McDonnell said. “We need to present a clear picture of what the Republican Party stands for - common sense ideas for things that people care about.“

While the Republicans lost big in Virginia in 2008, McDonnell expects next year will be a different story. The reasons behind his party’s woes, he said, were primarily an unpopular president, an economic crisis and ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Such challenges, he predicted, will not be factors in the governor’s race.

With a united party behind McDonnell’s gubernatorial bid and the re-election campaign of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, 2009 may be the year that Republicans reverse their back-to-back string of losses in gubernatorial elections, McDonnell said. “We’re excited to be the team, a full year out from the election,“ he said.

One hitch, however, may come for McDonnell if Kaine is tapped to serve in Barack Obama’s administration. While Kaine has said he would serve the rest of his term, he has been mentioned as a possible Cabinet member. If Kaine left, Bolling would become governor for the remainder of Kaine’s term. In that scenario, analysts have said, McDonnell might let Bolling run for governor in 2009 while he waits until 2013.