U.S. Rep. Jim Moran says Democrat Creigh Deeds is very much in a position to win his campaign for governor, but says he counseled his party's nominee last night that he needs to push back against consultant advice to run negative ads, and run positive spots instead.

Moran said Deeds is being supported by an anti-McDonnell vote but now must give voters a reason to vote for him instead of against the other guy.

"We had a conversation last night," Moran said. "I said: 'All your consultants are going to tell you to go negative, just like they told my brother. And spend all your money on negative because positive ads don't move anything.' ... I said: 'You've got to go with your instinct. You're a genuine guy. People relate to you.' "

"That's how Creigh won the primary and I think that's how he'll win the general, by showing that he's very decent guy," Moran continued. "People know about the thesis -- the people who care about the thesis, they're in Northern Virginia and they read The Post and they know. But there's got to be more. He's got to give people a reason to vote for Creigh."

Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
Good morning! Here's what's happening in politics across the Commonwealth today.

One month and counting until Virginia voters go to the polls. Have you registered to vote yet? Today's the deadline!

This may be a critical week in the campaign, as pretty much everyone who is going to vote is starting to pay real attention to the governor's race, even these highly sought late-deciders.

Is the national Democratic party doubling-down on Sen. Creigh Deeds in attempt to close the gap with Republican Bob McDonnell? The DNC will give him $1 million more to spend on his effort. But meanwhile national Democrats begin to say quietly they think they may have better chance in New Jersey than Virginia. Those doing the talking, very diplomatically include Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, head of the Democratic Governors Association.

This week's Kitchen Table takes us to Greenspring Village, a retirement community in Springfield and one of the most politically engaged communities in the state. Just about every candidate running for Fairfax County or statewide office makes at least one swing through this tree-lined 100-acre campus, and no wonder: turnout in last fall's election was 87 percent of its 1,945 registered voters (and just about everyone here is registered to vote).

So it's perhaps no surprise that Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D), a former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors who knows these residents well, on Tuesday held a healthcare town hall meeting at Greenspring Village. (You can meet some of these residents in a video published on washingtonpost.com.)

U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) will host a town hall meeting on health care Tuesday in Reston. He will be joined by Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, presidential candidate and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, to discuss efforts in Congress to reform the health care system.

The meeting will take place from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday in the South Lakes High School auditorium, 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston. The event is free, but seating is limited. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

President Obama came calling in Virginia today, hosting a forum on health care at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. Gov. Tim Kaine was on stage for a portion of the event, and tons of Virginia Democratic luminaries were in the crowd, from Sen. Mark Warner to U.S. Reps Gerry Connolly, Bobby Scott and Jim Moran.

But Democratic gubernatorial candidate state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds was not around. Was he invited?

Deeds says yes. In an interview this afternoon, Deeds said he would have liked to be at the health care forum but had already agreed to address secondary school principals in Williamsburg this morning and then had other appointments in the Hampton Roads area.

Attention on aisle 3: Yes, Safeway shoppers, that is U.S. Rep. James P. Moran.

Moran is bagging groceries today at the Safeway at the Bradlee Shopping Center in Alexandria from noon to 1. Why? Well, because who doesn't enjoy having a powerful person bag their groceries? Also, to help out Safeway's annual campaign to fight prostate cancer.

The company raises money each year to aide prostate cancer research--it's raised almost $42 million over the last nine years. Appearances like Moran's raise awareness and encourage giving.

Democratic Rep. Jim Moran wants to stop blushing when he's watching a Capitals game with his grandkids.

Moran, who turns 65 tomorrow, sent a letter this week to three drug manufacturers who make drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, or ED, urging them to tone down their television ads, which he and other parents and grandparents he knows are tired of viewing with children in the room.

Earlier this year, Moran introduced legislation that would require such ads to meet more stringent decency standards. He did so in 2005 as well, but at the time a verbal agreement was reached with some of the bigger manufacturers to tone down their ads and limit their airtime before 10 p.m.

Lately, Moran said, the companies have been kicking their airtime back up.

Terry McAuliffe appears to be the only Democratic candidate for governor who is having luck collecting big checks from donors during the economic downturn, according to campaign finance reports.

McAuliffe collected twice as many campaign contributions of at least $25,000 as Deeds and Moran were able to combined. The distinction is all the more striking because McAuliffe collected his money in six weeks. Moran and Deeds had six months, although both scaled back their fundraising during the fall presidential campaign.

Moran's brother, U.S. Rep. James P. Moran (D-Va.), was his largest contributor during the reporting period. James Moran's congressional campaign wrote Brian Moran a $50,000 check in mid December. Moran also collected four $25,000 contributions during the reporting period, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

In Virginia, we have many traditions. This one dates back more than three centuries.

Members of Virginia's Mattaponi and Pamunkey Indian tribes came to Capitol Square this morning to offer Gov. Timothy M. Kaine their annual tribute of wild game in lieu of paying taxes on their reservations in King William County.

Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, greeted members of the tribes in front of the Executive Masion while hundreds of members of the public braved the cool morning to watch the ceremony.

Each tribe presented the Kaines with a dead deer, placed on the brick walkway in front of the mansion, as well as other handmade gifts, including pottery and a peace pipe. Female tribe members danced around the animals.

"What do you think?" Kaine asked his wife when they were presented with the first deer.

"I don't think we'll be hungry,'' she quipped.

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.

Bob commented about the primary today and said, "I voted today--at 7:50 AM. I noticed I was the 6th person to vote...sad. I figure if candidates can put in the time, effort and energy it takes to run--plus the willingness to put themselves "out there" in the public eye-- we as the public should at least respect their efforts, show up at the polls and cast a vote."

We want to hear from you. Take the poll and tell us about your voting experience in the comment section below.

After morning and lunch-hour rushes that looked more like a trickle, Northern Virginia election officials predicted historically low turnout in today's congressional primaries despite a fiercely competitive Democratic contest for an open seat in the 11th District, where Republican Tom Davis is retiring.

At Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, Democratic candidate Leslie Byrne greets a prospective voter and his son at the polls. (By Emma Patti -- washingtonpost.com)

Through much of the afternoon, precincts across the region looked like ghost towns. At the Fair Oaks precinct of central Fairfax County, just 15 ballots had been cast at 2 p.m., officials said.

"Turnout is, I don't want to say anemic, but turnout is very, very, very, very light," said Rokey Suleman, Fairfax County's general registrar, who predicted that turnout was unlikely to exceed 5 percent by the time polls close at 7 p.m. -- a dismal contrast to the one-third of registered voters who participated in February's presidential contest statewide. Turnout in the 2006 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate was 5.8 percent in Fairfax County.

In Fairfax City, general registrar Jeremiah Vangen reported just 605 ballots cast by 2 p.m. out of more than 14,000 registered voters. Polls close at 7 p.m.

At the Mantua polling place, Democratic candidate Gerry Connolly greets Mantua precinct captain Patty Parker before voting. (By Emma Patti -- washingtonpost.com)

"The presidential campaign has overshadowed this campaign," said Sally Ormsby, a precinct captain at the Price precinct in central Fairfax County. "People weren't focused on this, even though it's a huge competition."

In the hotly contested 11th District, which encompasses central and southern Fairfax County and a swath of Prince William County, low turnout adds a measure of uncertainty in a four-way primary battle between Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, former representative Leslie L. Byrne, former Navy pilot Doug Denneny and physical therapist Lori P. Alexander.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia's 8th District will be online Tuesday, May 20 at 11 a.m. ET to take your questions about his work and goals during this session of Congress.

You can read the Q&A here or submit questions directly.

Here are some winners and losers from the Virginia Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Day dinner Saturday night in Richmond. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) spoke to about 6,000 party activists and donors. Before the event, which also featured speeches from a elected leaders and party officials, hundreds of Clinton and Obama supporters faced off outside the Stuart C. Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Winners:

Barack Obama Virginia organizers: Obama supporters appeared to outnumber Clinton supporters by about 3 to 1. Before the dinner, about 300 Obama supporters paraded down one of Richmond's busiest streets to show their support for their candidate. The Obama campaign, aided by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's (D) trusted political aide Charlie Kelly, even brought in a marching band to lead the group. There was little doubt inside or outside the Siegel Center that Obama supporters appeared more energetic.

Even the introductions are partisan in the House of Delegates.

Del. Lacey E. Putney, an Independent from Bedford who caucuses with Republicans, introduced two visiting members of Virginia's congressional delegation, Republican Reps. Thelma Drake and Robert J. Wittman.

A third member, Democrat Rep. James P. Moran Jr. was sitting close by but was not recognized until House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry) stood up to introduce him.

For those who can't get enough of Virginia elections, time to look ahead to the governor's race in 2009.

Yes, there is a U.S. Senate and presidential election next November. But with former governor Mark R. Warner (D) an early favorite to win the Senate race, the election for governor will be the contest that will really decide whether Virginia is turning blue or if party gains this decade were caused largely of President Bush's unpopularity.

RICHMOND- Here are the answers to the election questions asked in the Oct. 25 Virginia Notebook after Democrats won the four seats needed to reclaim control of the state Senate and also make inroads in the House of Delegates.

Q Can a Republican still win inside the Beltway?

A Maybe. With Democrat Margaret G. Vanderhye's victory over Republican David M. Hunt for the seat of retiring Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr. (R-Fairfax), there will be no elected Republican state official next year representing an inside-the-Beltway district. Hunt lost by just 540 votes, however. In Alexandria, Del. David L. Englin (D) beat Republican challenger Mark S. Allen by nearly 2 to 1. Even so, I wouldn't write off a Republican candidate's chance to someday prevail in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax.

Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) had more to say about Jews today, but this time his comments aren't likely to unleash another torrent of criticism.

Moran began his talk at an immigration forum by decrying U.S. policies in the late 1930s and early 1940s that blocked tens of thousands of Eurpoean Jews from escaping Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust. Without mentioning Jews or the Holocaust by name, he said a shameful chapter in U.S. immigration history was written "when we refused to allow [entry to] people who would otherwise be suffering not just persecution but extermination. Imagine how much greater a country we would have been were we not so prejudicial and xenophobic."

Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (R-Va.) has angered several Jewish groups with what they consider to be anti-Semitic remarks. Moran stands by his comments in Tikkun magazine.