Monday, Oct. 19, 2009

Good morning, politicos! Just 15 days to go, and boy has it gotten busy. Republican Robert F. McDonnell and state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds have transformed the race for governor into a sprint, with both zooming through mostly friendly crowds over the weekend to rev up their bases.

On Saturday, McDonnell rallied veterans in Virginia Beach with U.S. Sen. John McCain -- but coverage of the event didn't turn out exactly as planned when McDonnell was asked for his views on climate change. McDonnell went on to attend a Norfolk State-Hampton University football game in Norfolk, a seafood festival in heavily Republican Poquoson, a voter event in Glen Allen with House Minority Whip Eric I. Cantor and a Hispanic reception at a Mexican restaurant in Richmond.

Deeds flooded the zone too, rallying across Northern Virginia Saturday with various ethnic groups seen as crucial to Democratic turnout: Latinos in Baileys Crossroads, Vietnamese at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Ethiopians and more. On Sunday, Deeds hit five black churches in the Richmond area (and if you think that's a lot, wait until next week, when he's planning to visit 15 in one day in Hampton Roads). Terry McAuliffe rallied canvassers at his McLean home Sunday after going at it with Karl Rove on Fox News Sunday (and betting Rove $5 that Deeds will win).

Good morning, Virginia, here's what's happening in politics around the state today.

The campaign finance numbers are in, and they're big. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democrat running for governor, raked in a record $3.48 million in July and August, about a half million dollars more than Republican Robert F. McDonnell. But McDonnell, who didn't have a primary challenge, has more money in the bank, $5.8 million, compared with Deeds's nearly $4.4 million.

It's a good news, bad news day for Deeds. According to a recent poll of registered voters, McDonnell's lead has slimmed to five percentage points (the poll was conducted by live interviewers, which is critical to meeting the Post's standards). But the Democrat is facing questions about seemingly contradictory responses he gave two groups about collective bargaining.

Both men are in Richmond today at a forum sponsored by Virginia FREE. Sorry, you weren't invited.

Today, Gov. Tim Kaine blamed U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor for doing his part in closing 18 of the state's highway rest stops last week due to a budget shortfall.

On his monthly radio program on WRVA in Richmond and the Virginia News Network, Kaine accused Cantor (a frequent foe of Kaine's friend, President Barack Obama) of encouraging Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee to vote against a Kaine request that would allow private businesses to operate rest stops.

Federal law specifies that the rest areas must be run by the state, but Kaine was seeking a waiver as part of a last-minute effort to prevent the rest stops from closing. U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R) supported the waiver and offered the amendment.

"The solution is easy and won't cost a penny,'' Kaine said.

The decision to close the rest stops -- made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board -- has garnered quite a bit of attention in recent weeks. All of it bad. No wonder politicians are blaming each other for the closures.

Updated: Cantor does not sit on that committee and members of the Virginia delegation deny that he worked against the amendment. "Chairman Kaine's rash decision to close the rest stops has raised serious safety concerns, especially in rural communities,'' said Brad Dayspring, a Cantor spokesman. "Congressman Cantor believes that instead of politicizing this issue, we should work toward a smart solution that addresses the safety concerns of Virginians in rural communities and is efficient for all residents of the Commonwealth."

The RNC gave us Jerry Kilgore yesterday. Today the DNC presents Rep. Gerald Connolly and Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Richard Cranwell, slamming Rep. Eric Cantor and Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell for not supporting President Obama's stimulus package. Or the recovery bill, as they call it.

Cantor, they say, has touted jobs that will be created through building high speed rail in Virginia, funded with stiumulus money. McDonnell has recently spoken flatteringly of the impact of tax cuts pushed by George Bush.

"You can't have it both ways. You can't on the national stage say this is a bad bill...but when it comes to my district I want a big chunk of that money. I want to be there with all four paws and snout in the trough," Connolly said.

It's the start of a hot August of efforts by the national parties to target politicians they believe may be vulnerable at home. The DNC today launches TV and radio ads against several Republican congressional leaders, including Cantor, accusing them of supporting Bush polices that wrecked the economy. "They broke it. Now they refuse to fix it," the tv ad says.

Meanwhile, the RNC likewise last week launched a new $1 million ad campaign targeting 60 Democrats, including Virginians Reps. Tom Perriello, Glenn Nye and Rick Boucher.

UPDATE: And there's response from the RNC, where spokeswoman Katie Wright said the bill "wastes Virginians tax dollars and has done nothing to stimulate the economy." Noting rising unemployment since Obama's inauguration, she said "it is hard to see how this massive spending experiment can be billed as a success."

Bob McDonnell never mentioned his Democratic rivals by name in his speech today officially accepting the Republican nomination for governor. He didn't have to.

Enough other prominent Republicans made it clear this weekend at the state GOP convention in Richmond that they think former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe will win the primary next month and compete against McDonnell in the general election.

Here's what U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, the House minority and an all around popular guy at the convention, said about McAuliffe:

"He saw Virginia's governship pop up on ebay and he wants to buy it,'' he told more than 10,000 cheering Republicans. "We won't let him do that."

Even by Virginia Republican standards, the battle over whether Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (Prince William) should be replaced as state party chairman is divisive and brutal, and the wounds it creates could have far-reaching consequences for the GOP in an election year.

Both sides in the dispute have crafted a strategy that revolves around the phrase "grass roots." Unfortunately for Virginia Republicans, there appears to be a huge disconnect over who makes up the grass roots.

And if a party doesn't know who its most loyal supporters are, can it really rebound from a string of election defeats? Or is this a case in which most party leaders know full well who their most loyal supporters are, but they don't like what they see?

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said today that he will participate in a series of work days around the state to get a firsthand look at the economy from the perspective of working Virginians.

McAuliffe will take on different jobs starting with bussing tables Monday at Roger Brown's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Portsmouth.

"I know that when it comes to getting our economy back on track, not every good idea comes from Richmond," McAuliffe said. "I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work alongside Virginians from all walks of life, as we find a way to get our economy moving again."

McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, faces state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County and former state delegate Brian J. Moran of Alexandria in a June 9 Democratic primary.

HOT SPRINGS, Va. -- About 500 Republican activists from across Virginia gathered Friday at the Homstead Resort in the Allegheny Mountains in the far western part of the state for the 25th annual GOP Advance. They will attend speeches, receptions and training sessions throughout the weekend.

Most candidates running statewide next year hosted parties, including Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, running for governor, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, running for re-election and the three men running for attorney general, John Brownlee, the former top prosecutor for Virginia's western district, David M. Foster, former chairman of the Arlington County School Board, and state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax).

Those five candidates, as well as Alexandria lawyer Patrick Muldoon who is running for lieutenant governor, were certified to appear on the ballot in 2009. When news broke at a meeting of the party's governing body that McDonnell had been certified, the crowd stood up and applauded.

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor and Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart also hosted parties.

Others spotted at the Advance: Jerry Kilgore, former attorney general and Republican nominee for governor in 2005, former governor James S. Gilmore, who lost the Senate race last month, and a handful of legislators, including House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem).

Virginia's congressional delegation was sharply divided on a $700 billion financial bailout defeated by the U.S. House Monday afternoon.

Six of Virginia's members of Congress voted against the package and five voted in favor.

Five of eight Republican members voted against the bailout as did one Democrat, Rep. Bobby Scott of Hampton Roads.

Use the post.com congressional votes database to find out how your representative voted.

MINNEAPOLIS --- More than 100 Virginia delegates, alternates and guests enjoyed a posh brunch on the top floor of a beach club overlooking Lake Calhoun, as a jazz bank played.

The guest of honor, legendary singer Pat Boone, received a standing ovation when he walked to the stage wearing a white suit and a red, white and blue tie.

"We are here to let John McCain and Governor Palin descend to the White House and dethrone the man who would be king,'' Boone said to applause and laughter.

Guests sipped mimosas and Bloody Marys, dined on hand-carved roast beef, potato pancakes, frittata, rolls, fruit and salad and strolled onto a rooftop terrace to take in the view.

"We don't see this in rural Virginia,'' quipped Tucker Watkins, a delegate from the southern part of the state.

MINNEAPOLIS --The 123 members of Virginia's delegation to the Republican National Convention started to arrive in the Twin Cities Saturday.

A Radisson hotel near the University of Minnesota will be home to both the Virginia and U.S. Virgin Islands delegations for the next week. Huge banners erected on the front of the hotel greeted both groups.

The Republican of Virginia is providing each delegation member with a goodie bag -- courtesy of corporate sponsors CSPAN, Capitol One and others -- that includes Virginia peanuts, hand sanitizer, an alarm clock, a red-and-blue stress ball in the shape of an elephant, a small towel and a pin with the American and Virginia flags.

The Republican National Committee also supplies each delegate from across the nation with its own gift -- a bag that includes a copy of Sen. John McCain's book Faith of My Fathers, a pocket guide to the U.S. Constitution, a pedometer, a water bottle, popcorn and macaroni and cheese.

The Democratic National Committee launched a new website The Next Cheney to target Sen. John McCain's potential running mates, including U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia.

The website criticizes Cantor for voting with President Bush 92.5 percent during the 110 Congress and having ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Cantor, 45, chief deputy minority whip in the House, has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential choice in recent days. He is one of seven vice presidential candidates listed on the website, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, U.S. Sen. John Thune and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Cantor's office declined to comment.

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, a rising star in the Republican leadership in Congress, told reporters today that he would not talk about possibly being considered by Sen. John McCain as a running mate.

"This is a press conference about the energy plan and the difference between the vision Barack Obama has and John McCain,'' Cantor told reporters on a conference call.

In recent days, several media sources have reported that McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, had asked Cantor for personal documents used to vet him to be considered vice president.

Cantor, 45, chief deputy minority whip in the House, has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential choice for weeks and has increasingly been a surrogate for McCain on television news shows.

Sen. John W. Warner (R), who is retiring, announced today he has contributed $2,000 to former Republican governor James S. Gilmore III's campaign to succeed him in the Senate.

Warner's announcement comes on the heels of a report in The Hill newspaper that speculated the state's senior senator may not support Gilmore, who secured the GOP nomination last weekend. Warner apparently made the donation to Gilmore sometime this week.

In a statement, Warner said he has also donated $2,000 each this month to GOP Reps. Frank R. Wolf, Thelma Drake, Eric I. Cantor, Randy Forbes and Robert Goodlatte, all of whom are seeking reelection.

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, a popular Republican who represents suburban Richmond, has been increasingly mentioned as a possible statewide candidate, even perhaps as a candidate in next year's U.S. Senate race against Democrat Mark R. Warner.

Many Republicans believe Cantor would be a formidable candidate in a statewide race because he is a proven fundraiser who has strong ties to both the conservative and moderate wings of the GOP. Cantor has also been mentioned as a possible future Speaker of the House if the Republicans regain control of Congress.

In an interview today, Cantor declined to rule out making a statewide bid for office. His quote is ripe for parsing.