Monday, Nov. 2, 2009

Good morning everyone. Here's what's happening in politics around the state today.

The polls open in less than 24 hours!

In what has to be one of the last polls before Election Day, Republican Bob McDonnell leads Democrat Creigh Deeds, 53 to 41, in a Mason Dixon poll released this weekend.

In the same poll, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is up 13 percentage point over Jody Wagner and Republican Ken Cuccinelli is up 14 percentage points over Steve Shannon in the race for attorney general.

Whoever wins the governor's mansion Tuesday will face continuing budget shortfalls and will have to figure out how to pay for ambitious campaign promises.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has recorded a phone message encouraging Virginians to get out and vote on Tuesday, while Gov. Tim Kaine makes calls for Shannon.

The last newspaper endorsements came out Sunday, and now it's just up to sophisticated get-out-the-vote efforts to get Virginians to the polls.

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
Good morning Virginia! Here's what's happening in politics across the Commonwealth today.

With just four days until Tuesday's election, we are now at the stage where there is nothing new for the candidates to say. Just many more people for them to say it to, and quickly.

Each have launched their final sweeps through the state, as Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds start multi-day, many stop stumps.

McDonnell's five-day, 25-stop "New Jobs, More Opportunities: It Starts Now!" tour began yesterday, with stops in Glen Allen, Danville, Martinsville and Rocky Mount. Deeds was in Richmond and Roanoke.

Both candidates finished their days Thursday greeting spectators tailgating at the Virginia Tech-UNC football game. The fans surely were eager to discuss issues of importance to the Commonwealth. Or, perhaps they were drunk and excited for the opportunity to hand their cellphones to a candidate, after shouting to their girlfriends/buddies/mothers, "Hey, talk to this guy! He's running for governor!"

Deeds's final tour is a four-day. 20-stop "All in for Virginia" tour, which will focus heavily on get out the vote efforts. The Democrat will hit Northern Virginia today. McDonnell today is in Lynchburg, Waynesboro, Culpeper, Ashland and Virginia Beach.

How does Mark Warner do it?

Despite an increasing national fatigue with Democrats and a more Republican-friendly electorate in Virginia, the Democratic governor-turned-senator continues to receive incredibly high approval ratings.

In a Washington Post poll released this week, 68 percent of registered voters approved of Warner's job performace (31 percent of them strongly).

By comparison, Virginia's two other statewide Democrats, Tim Kaine and Jim Webb, have approval rating of 55 and 51 among registered voters, respectively.

Last week, we introduced you to On The Record , a new regular feature here on the Virginia Politics blog -- a funny, outrageous or otherwise memorable quote from someone in the state's political world. Have a quote you want to share? Email me at kumaranita@washpost.com.

Now onto our second installment:

Today's quote: "All they've got to do is look at the birth certificate in Hawaii. To me that is convincing evidence...This is a distraction from discussion of real issues that do matter. I'm convinced he was born in United States, that he was duly elected president and he's proposing some really bad ideas for our country," George Allen said in an interview with my colleague Sandhya Somashekhar.

Allen, the former Republican senator and governor, was responding to a question about the so-called "birther movement" -- comprised of those who do not believe Barack Obama is a natural born citizen, a requirement to be president of the United States. Recent polls show that a majority of Republicans do not believe, or say they do not know, if Obama is a citizen. But Allen has made it crystal clear he does not fall in that category. Three years after he made an infamous political gaffe, a conciliatory Allen is stepping back into the spotlight in part by campaigning regularly for gubernatorial hopeful Bob McDonnell, prompting speculation of a comeback.

What do you think about Allen's quote? Share your thoughts with us below.

Aug. 14, 2009

Good morning everyone. Here's what's happening in politics around the state today.

Republican Bob McDonnell heads home to Northern Virginia, where he will speak at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly's convention in Tysons Corner. Tomorrow the McDonnell RV takes a tour of Luray Caverns where he will roll out a policy proposal on -- what else? -- tourism.

He spent yesterday on the Eastern Shore talking about outer space. He toured the spaceport on Wallops Island and announced plans to make it the "top commercial spaceport in the country." Meanwhile back in Richmond, his campaign announced a newly-redesigned Web site.

Democrat Creigh Deeds will travel to Newport News today for a community day hosted by a mental health agency. Then he's off to Courtland for the Franklin-Southampton County Fair. Funnel cake, anyone?

He announced the creation of Nurses for Deeds yesterday in Portsmouth along with fellow state Sen. Louise Lucas, the best-dressed legislator in the General Assembly.

In other Deeds news, University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato stands by his statements about the upheaval in the Deeds campaign. It turns out there have been some changes, but the message from the Deeds camp is that Joe Abbey remains on top.

Aug. 10, 2009

Good morning everyone. Here's what's happening in politics around the state today.

It's Monday, the start of what promises to be a busy week on the campaign trail.

Democrat Creigh Deeds wrapped up his tour of the state's rural areas with a rare visit to his home county of Bath where he announced several proposals to improve government accountability.

Deeds is expected to roll out three other policy proposals this week. Today, he will talk about abortion in Northern Virginia as he tries to portray Republican Bob McDonnell as out of the mainstream. The effort is deemed desperate by some, mostly Republicans of course, and has led to a lot of chatter on conservative blogs. But Deeds hopes to energize his lackluster base, and the initial response shows it may be working.

McDonnell got a moment in the national spotlight when he delivered the response to President Obama's weekly radio address this weekend. (Okay, so it's not really a response). He kicked off his month-long "New Jobs, More Opportunities" tour at the Patrick County Peach Festival in Stuart. Check out the RV here.

McDonnell, too, plans to unveil four policy proposals this week. Today, he will hold a press conference to release his economic plan for rural Virginia in Martinsville before heading to Danville.

Aug. 4, 2009
Good morning. Here's what's doing in politics across the Commonwealth today.

Federal prosecutors in Virginia are quietly but vigorously lobbying for the chance to try big name terror suspects in Alexandria. Bob McDonnell says no thanks. No word yet from Gov. Tim Kaine, who has previously said he has faith in President Obama's handling of the issue or from Creigh Deeds, who has in the past called Gitmo prisoners in Virginia a "bad idea." That's one to watch.

Deeds, conveniently still on his tour of rural "Deeds Country," says McDonnell "doesn't get" rural Virginia because of a comment by McDonnell's party chairman Pat Mullins that some college students in Wise preferred welfare to work. Also because he supports Bush economic policies. The GOP says Deeds doesn't get rural Virginia because he supports Obama economic policy.

Give this to the folks at Public Policy Poll. They do a good job at building excitement before they release their polls. From PPP teases, we know today's--out at 11 a.m.--will show McDonnell with a big lead over Deeds. (PPP conducts its polling using recorded voice interviewing, meaning respondents puch their answers into their phones and do not speak with a live interviewer. This methodology is the subject of much controversy in the survey research field so take their results with a large grain of salt).

The "Deeds Country" tour continues as does the blog scrum on the left about whether this rural swing is a good idea in a suburbanizing state.

McDonnell today speaks at an education conference in Richmond and does an online video chat with the RTD.

Kaine has turned down a request from families of Va Tech victims to reconvene the investigatory panel that reviewed the incident. His response is gentle and he has assured families corrections they seek are being made to the report produced by the panel. But it's a tough spot to be on the opposite side of Tech families.

Today Kaine holds a news conference about infant mortality. His office has hinted he'll be announcing good news so, given the topic, it's good to assume the rate is likely down.

Republican former Sen. John Warner had kind words for sitting Democratic Sen. Jim Webb at a ceremony at GMU yesterday as Webb's updated GI Bill took effect. President Obama was on hand as well.

Aug. 3, 2009
Good morning, Virginia. Here's what's doing in politics across the Commonwealth today.

It's a big week for the Creigh Deeds campaign. Thursday will find Deeds trying to jazz supporters at the side of the popular President of the United States in McLean. He's hoping that will put to an end discussions like this one suggesting he wants Obama's donors and excitement, but not his policies.But what will they talk about? We're betting not health care, if Deeds had his druthers. Maybe George Bush instead?

Before and after the NoVa Obama rally, Deeds travels through newly dubbed Deeds Country, southwest and western Virginia, kicked off yesterday in Charlottesville. Mark Warner won the state in part by making a credible play in such communities, long lost to Democrats, edging up in his numbers there and weakening the Republican base.

Of course, the last two Democrats to win state office have done so by concentrating on swing suburbs, areas that have only become more Democratic and populous since 2001. Does Deeds risk alienating the NoVa voters he desperately needs by a kick-off that suggests it is rural Shenandoah Valley that is Deeds country? Dem bloggers are concerned maybe yes. Campaign Manager Joe Abbey answers, via twitter, nope.

Bob McDonnell did some classic retail politics over the weekend. He'll have a hard time getting ink or links this week with Obama coming to town but is planning to start traveling the state soon in a Winnebago. People love a Winnebago.

Both camps keep getting bad press from state opinion writers about their transportation plans, but Deeds somewhat more so.

A new Public Policy Poll is out this week. The group's teasing tweets suggest it'll have the GOP up in Virginia.

Gov. Kaine was in Martha's Vineyard over the weekend for DNC business, but this morning sees Virginia National Guard troops off to Iraq in Virginia Beach, then meets with state budget officers in Norfolk and talks campus security in Richmond.

Sen. Webb and Warner join President Obama at George Mason this morning to sign Webb's new G.I. Bill for vets in a post Sept. 11 world.

Unemployment insurance is running out across the country. Can Dems use these numbers to restart the debate over benefits in Virginia?

Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) today introduced a bill that would create a bipartisan commission on criminal justice reform.

Webb has been an outspoken critic of the nation's drug laws and its approach toward incarceration, even though Virginia is considered a law-and-order state. In a statement on his Web site, he called the criminal justice system a "national disgrace."

Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, the Republican nominee for governor, sent out a statement today praising Democrat L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor who is ending his tenure as Richmond mayor today.

"As the nation's first African-American Governor, Wilder made history. He governed Virginia well during a period of economic difficulty, and ensured that the Commonwealth would be well positioned to benefit from economic recovery,'' McDonnell said. "L. Douglas Wilder has dedicated his life to public service, and his contributions to Virginia will long be remembered."

None of the three Democratic candidates for governor sent out a statement on Wilder.

Wilder, who did not run for re-election, has been a fixture in Virginia politics for four decades. The charismatic, often flamboyant Wilder was known as an outspoken, sometimes combative Democrat who was not shy about breaking ranks with his party.

Jon Bowerbank, a wealthy businessman from Russell County, hired campaign manager Jon Paul Lupo and national pollster Geoff Garin for his campaign for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor next year.

Lupo worked on U.S. Sen. Jim Webb's campaign in 2006 and as the deputy campaign manager for U.S Sen. Tim Johnson's re-election campaign in South Dakota in 2008.

Garin has worked on several successful Virginia political campaigns, including Mark R. Warner 2001 gubernatorial campaign and 2008 Senate campaign. Other clients include former lieutenant governor Don Beyer and U.S. senators Hillary Clinton of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Dianne Feinstein of California and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.

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.

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) will campaign for his colleague, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, at a rally tomorrow morning for seniors at the Greenspring Retirement Village in Springfield.

Webb will tout Obama's proposals to protect Social Security, eliminate income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 per year and bring an end to the Iraq war.

Also, U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn will headline a series of rallies tomorrow and Friday in Roanoke, Lynchburg, Petersburg and Richmond.

Clyburn will talk to potential voters about their rights on Election Day and encourage them to vote on Nov. 4.

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) cut a radio ad for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama that will run in southwest Virginia and perhaps North Carolina and other states in the South.

Obama has also asked Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) and former governor Mark R. Warner (D) to do the same, according to Democratic sources.

Kaine, who was on Obama's short list for vice president, is likely to appear in an ad for his friend Obama. It's unclear whether Warner, who is trying to draw bipartisan support for his bid for U.S. Senate against former James S. Gimore III, will star in an ad.

In his ad, Webb, a veteran and NRA member, recounts his own gun history and then explains why listeners can trust Obama, who he calls a friend, to not infringe on their Second Amendment rights.

Webb, elected in 2006, will campaign for Obama in southwest Virginia Thursday. Rallies are scheduled for Bristol, Marion, Pulaski and Blacksburg.

By calling on the state's top three Democratic politicans, Obama's campaign is indicating that it still needs help to win the battleground state of Virginia. Polls show the race between Obama and Sen. John McCain (R) is extremely close but Republican presidential candidates often outperform their final poll numbers.

Sen. Jim Webb, who is not exactly known for his love of campaigning, starting stumping today for fellow Democrats running for election next month.

This week, he is appearing at events for Gerry Connolly, Fairfax County Board chairman who is running for Congress; former governor Mark R. Warner, who is running for U.S. Senate; and Tom Perriello, who is running against Rep. Virgil Goode in a south central district stretching from Charlottesville to Danville.

Next week, he will campaign for Judy Feder, who is running against Rep. Frank Wolf in Northern Virginia and Glenn Nye, who is running against Rep. Thelma Drake in Hampton Roads. He will also participate in an event for Democratic senate candidates with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and make a two-day swing through Southwest Virginia for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Webb, elected in 2006, has been criticized by some constituents and party activists for his failure to interact with Democratic activists and campaign for members of his party. But he has a packed schedule this month following the Senate's adjournment Friday.

Democratic Sen. Jim Webb honored his Republican colleague, Sen. John W. Warner, who is retiring after three decades in the Senate.

Webb, elected in 2006, took the Senate floor this afternoon to pay tribute to Warner, considered an elder statesman highly regarded for his expertise in defense matters.

"He has always put the interests of the people of Virginia and the people in this country ahead of political party,'' Webb said. "He has been very clear at different times that he and I are in different parties. But this is an individual who has served this body with great wisdom and a deeply ingrained sense of fairness and someone who has the temperament and the moral courage of a great leader."

Warner then took the floor, saying in an emotional response that he was "moved" and "grateful" for Webb's comments.

"America will always look down on you as a proud son,'' Warner said. "And I don't know what the future may be, but I know that there are further steps of greatness that you will achieve, Senator. And I wish you the best of luck."

Read Webb and Warner's remarks below

Esquire magazine named Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) one of the "75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century" in its 75th anniversary edition.

The reason given? "Because the Senate has never seen anything like him."

The eclectic list include David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, baseball player Alex Rodriguez and the co-founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It includes other Democrats, including Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, and Republicans, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.