Virginia voters head to polls to pick Democrats' gubernatorial nominee
By: William C. Flook
Examiner Staff Writer
June 9, 2009
Virginia voters — bombarded by mailers, television ads, door knocks and phone calls — will pick a gubernatorial nominee Tuesday from a crowded field of challengers, each hoping to extend their party’s control of the executive mansion into a third term.
The commonwealth’s first Democratic gubernatorial primary in more than three decades is expected to be decided by a few hundred thousand Virginians, who in recent months have been inundated by pitches from former Del. Brian Moran, state Sen. Creigh Deeds and Terry McAuliffe, a national Democratic fundraiser making his first foray into state politics.
The three together raised more than $13 million to campaign against each other. The victor will enter a more expensive general election in which the Republican nominee, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell, already has pulled together about $9 million.
As one of only two gubernatorial races in the nation this year, and the most competitive, the Virginia governor’s race will see a showering of national attention and money and will carry deep implications for the 2010 congressional midterm elections.
Still, the primary is expected to follow the trend of tepid turnout of past Virginia nomination contests, a prediction reinforced by reports of scant absentee ballot returns.
Richmond and Virginia Beach registrars said they had taken in fewer than 300 ballots each, either by mail or in person. Fairfax County, the largest jurisdiction and a Democratic power base, collected about 1,500, which General Registrar Rokey Suleman describes as “very low.”
“In Fairfax County, some voters may have had up to three elections this year, and then we’ve got fallout from the big November election,” Suleman said. “There is a certain amount of election fatigue going on.”
Deeds, a pro-gun moderate from rural Virginia, has been surging in polls and hopes to peak just as voters head to the ballot box. Moran, who has campaigned to the left on gay rights and the environment, is looking to mobilize the most liberal voters, while McAuliffe has run on a largely economic platform and made the strongest inroads with African-Americans.
Should Deeds win, his mix of conservative and liberal stances means “it’s going to be tough for him to assemble a coalition,” said Del. Chris Saxman, R-Staunton.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “Here’s a guy who’s pro-gun and pro-coal. Now — sell that to the Democratic stronghold of Fairfax County. I don’t know if [Democrats] will get wildly enthusiastic about showing up to the polls to vote for a guy who voted to override Gov. Kaine’s veto [of a bill] to have guns in restaurants.”
PRIMARY DAY
Polls open: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Virginia voters will vote on Democratic nominees for two statewide offices.
Governor
Brian Moran: Former delegate from Alexandria
Creigh Deeds: State senator from Bath County
Terry McAuliffe: Former Democratic National Committee chairman
Lieutenant governor
Jody Wagner: Gov. Tim Kaine’s former finance secretary
Mike Signer: Political consultant from Arlington
Attorney general (uncontested)
Steve Shannon: Delegate from Fairfax County
