The three Democrats vying for their party’s gubernatorial nomination made a campaign stop Thursday at Greenspring Retirement Community, a self-contained electoral precinct that regularly boasts some of the highest voter turnout in Virginia.
State Sen. Creigh Deeds, former Del. Brian Moran and former Democratic National Committee chief Terry McAuliffe are the latest in a long line of politicians to bring themselves before the massive senior community outside Springfield.
With row upon row of silver hair stretching back from the podium, they could have been expected to narrow their pitches to issues like Social Security and Medicare. But those topics never came up.
In fact, the politically astute, highly educated crowd at Greenspring seemed more plugged in to current events than the population at large, demanding the candidates explain their stances on federal stimulus, gay marriage, gun control and No Child Left Behind.
Free time is one reason for the high political awareness, said Bernice Berman, president of the community’s Democratic club, which organized the event. Residents of Greenspring don’t have children to look after and aren’t concerned with earning a living. Also a factor, she said, is the large number of professional retirees — many with backgrounds in embassies and civil service.
“They’ve been alerted to the world and issues in the world, and they don’t lose that just ’cause we’re getting old,” Berman said. “We still retain that interest.”
Greenspring has drawn some of the biggest names in Virginia politics for years. It’s demanded such attention since 2003, when it was made into its own precinct, said Jason Connors, a spokesman for the community. Of the roughly 2,000 seniors who reside there, he said more than 1,900 were registered, active voters. Eighty-seven percent of the residents turned out for November’s presidential election.
With less than a month until the June 9 primary, former Fairfax County Board Chairwoman Audrey Moore, a Democrat, said she was leaning toward voting for Deeds, possibly Moran and definitely not McAuliffe. Deeds, she said, “probably has the most substantive record,” especially on seeking out bipartisan redistricting.
“I think the issue for me is that I want to support one of the people I know has a record in Virginia,” she said.
