Obama coming to Deeds' aid amid worsening troubles
By: William C. Flook
Examiner Staff Writer
October 27, 2009
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| Democrat Creigh Deeds greets senior citizens at Greenspring Retirement Community during a campaign stop. President Obama will stump for Deeds on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/Examiner) |
President Obama will pay his second visit to Virginia on behalf of Democrat Creigh Deeds on Tuesday amid continuing worries over the gubernatorial candidate's chances in next week's election.
Poll and fundraising numbers released Monday illustrated Deeds' bleak situation. His opponent, Republican Bob McDonnell, entered the home stretch of the race with twice as much cash on hand and held a double-digit lead in a new Washington Post poll.
The cash raceDeeds' and McDonnell's fundraising, Oct. 1-21:
Deeds: Raised $3.1 million; $937,772 on hand
McDonnell: Raised $4 million, $1.8 million on hand
Deeds' supporters hope the president's appearance will spark interest among voter groups that so far have shown little sign of warming to the rural state senator. The venue for the rally -- on the campus of Old Dominion University in minority-rich Norfolk -- is a clear overture to young voters and African-Americans, two constituencies that helped Obama become the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia since 1964. Democrats, however, are broadly worried that the energy of 2008 has given way to apathy.
"One of the things the Obama campaign did very successfully was to mobilize new voters," said Jesse Richman, an assistant professor of political science at Old Dominion University. "The challenge now is to try to convert those voters into frequent voters."
Obama's visit, Richman said, was also geared toward mobilizing campaign volunteers, who will work to drive turnout Nov. 3. The Deeds campaign offered guaranteed admission to the event to anyone who spent a shift over the weekend canvassing or phone banking.
McDonnell leads Deeds 55 percent to 44 percent among likely voters and is more trusted to handle a broad spectrum of issues, including transportation, the economy, taxes and "issues of special concern to women," according to the Post poll. Of those voters, 70 percent said Obama would not be a factor in their choice for governor.
The Deeds campaign had invested heavily in courting female voters, and prior Post surveys found the Democrat was more trusted to handle women's issues. Deeds has spent much of the race attacking McDonnell's 1989 master's thesis, in which the Republican criticized working women.
The Republican had $1.8 million in the bank as of Oct. 21, compared with Deeds' $937,000, according to fundraising totals.
