Now begins the analysis of figuring out the implications of Bolling announcing he wouldn't run for the nomination for Governor of VA. One thing I began pondering was what would Bolling's supporters do? Do they sit out? Get behind someone for LG or AG? Something else? Interestingly as I talked to multiple people a fascinating rumor emerged. Numerous people were talking about Jeanemarie Davis running for Governor. Nature abhors a vacuum. There are a number of people who can't stand Cuccinelli, and think he is too extreme for the party. For them Jeannemarie is an experienced person with a more moderate record. They think she may be reconsidering running in a crowded Lieutenant Governor field. When I contacted Davis's campaign they refused to deny the rumors. Bolling's withdrawal has definitely shaken up the race, and it will be interesting to see if anything else changes as a result.
For my part I am excited Cuccinelli is the nominee, and look forward to seeing him passionately advocate first principles in his bid for governor.
UPDATE:While the original statement from the Davis campaign was rather noncommittal, a response after this post was unequivocal that Davis was not thinking about switching races. We'll see what happens. As Bolling has shown us, things sure can change in politics. There are a number of Republicans out there who don't want Ken to get the nomination. Some of them want Davis to run for Governor.. We'll see what happens.
McDonnell: "This series of ten gubernatorial debates statewide from July through October will reinvigorate political discourse in Virginia, and ensure that this race is marked by a serious discussion of the major issues facing the Commonwealth."
RICHMOND- Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial nominee and former Attorney General of Virginia, today proposed a formal series of ten gubernatorial debates, taking place statewide, between himself and Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds. McDonnell proposes that the debates begin with the already agreed to Virginia Bar Association debate taking place in Deeds’ home county on July 25th, and conclude with a final debate at the Rotunda on the grounds of Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia on October 20th, exactly two weeks prior to Election Day. This proposal has been formally presented to the Deeds campaign in a letter from McDonnell Campaign Manager Phil Cox which was sent this morning.
Speaking about the invitation to Creigh Deeds to participate in ten formal debates focused on the pressing issues facing the citizens of the Commonwealth, McDonnell stated, “With unemployment over 7%, and Virginians facing significant challenges from job creation to transportation to education, we need a gubernatorial campaign focused on the issues. Virginians are tired of sound bite campaigns. They want to know where the candidates stand on the issues of today. And they want to hear this directly from the candidates. This series of ten gubernatorial debates statewide from July through October will reinvigorate political discourse in Virginia, and ensure that this race is marked by a serious discussion of the major issues facing the Commonwealth.”
McDonnell continued, “It would be an honor to travel the state from late July through late October debating Creigh on jobs, transportation, education, economic development, health care, the environment, public safety, taxes and spending in front of audiences in every region. I anticipate that each debate will be available to voters statewide online and through radio, print and television outlets. These debates would keep the focus of this campaign where it belongs: on the issues. I hope Creigh will agree that Virginians deserve to hear from the two candidates for Virginia’s highest office directly, and together, as often as is possible. I look forward to receiving Creigh’s positive reply to this proposal for a formal series of ten gubernatorial debates.”
In proposing this debate schedule the McDonnell campaign incorporated various invitations received in recent weeks. The campaign has not received a formal debate invitation from any organization in Southwest Virginia, but believes it is important the region play host to a debate as part of this series. Any organization wishing to host a Southwest Virginia debate is encouraged to submit a proposal to the McDonnell and Deeds campaigns.
The below proposed debate schedule is a suggestion of dates for this formal series of 10 debates. The McDonnell campaign will work with the Deeds campaign and all debate organizers to ensure that the dates, and locations, for the 10-debate series work for all parties.
The Virginia Bar Association Debate
July 25th
The Homestead Resort in Bath County
Confirmed
Cox Communications-Hampton Roads Debate
August 5th
Cox Studios- Chesapeake
Formal Series of Debates to Run July 25th - October 20th
Southwest Virginia Debate
August 28th
Sponsor and Location TBD
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Debate
September 17th
Fairfax
Radio One/Richmond Crusade for Voters/The Chesterfield Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc/ Rho Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Community Forum Debate onRichmond Radio Stations: WCDX 92.1FM, WKJM 99.3FM and WKJS 105.7FM (simulcast), WPZZ 104.7FM, WTPS AM 1240
September 22nd
Radio One Studios- Richmond
CNN "State of the Union Virginia Governor’s Debate"
September 27th
CNN Studios- Washington D.C.
YouTube/Politico/WJLA Statewide Televised Debate
October 6th
WJLA Studios- Arlington
WSLS Statewide Televised Debate
October 9th
Roanoke
League of Women Voters/AARP/PBS/WTVR/WTKR/WDBJ Statewide Televised Debate
October 12th
Richmond
NBC 29/University of Virginia Center for Politics Statewide Televised Debate
October 20th
The Rotunda on the Grounds of the University of Virginia- Charlottesville
Last week Bob McDonnell came under fire from the Washington Times for refusing to sign a pledge to not raise taxes. Yesterday his campaign released Bob McDonnell's record on taxes. It is quite an impressive record, and I hope Bob continues to remind people of that record throughout the campaign, and continues to cut taxes as governor. I will say as well that I like the tax cutting regulation cutting Bob better than the new green jobs version.
“McDonnell also rejected taxes, saying lawmakers should cut spending. “The worst thing you can do during a recession is try to tax yourself to prosperity,” he said”
The Virginian-Pilot, December 2, 2008
·McDonnell, who is unopposed for the Republican nomination, pointed out that unemployment is up and consumer confidence is at its lowest point in 30 years — not the time, he said, to place an additional financial burden on Virginia families. Rather than raising new revenue, McDonnell said, his administration would slash state government expenditures.
“We have a spending problem more than we have a taxation problem,” McDonnell said.
The Daily Progress. December 3, 2008
·McDonnell, in turn, said Deeds would be a poor steward to guide the state through a recession. "My philosophy is to keep taxes, regulation and litigation low," he said. "He set a record of doing something different."
The Washington Post (June 11, 2009)
·"The worst thing you can do is to tax your way to prosperity,'' McDonnell said. "That's failed in the United States and abroad."
The Washington Post, December 3, 2008
·"I'm conservative. But conservative means that you believe in limited government and low taxes and keeping regulations to a minimum”
The Washington Post(March 3, 2009)
·The former Virginia attorney general also said he would fight the rebirth of the “death tax” – an inheritance tax that was eliminated a few years ago. “The federal government wants to reinstate that, and we should do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t,” McDonnell said.
TriCities.com (March 8, 2009)
·“The focus of this campaign is clearly going to be the economic issues--jobs and the economy--will far and away be the top issue in the campaign,” he said. “And there will be a big gulf between my opponents and me about the things I want to do to stimulate the free enterprise system that creates jobs, and they’ll be talking about strengthening the rights of unions and raising taxes.”
A recent Daily Kos poll on the Virginia Gubernatorial election is good news for Bob McDonnell. The poll shows McDonnell leading 45%-44%. When I first saw the news a couple of my first thoughts were the Deeds bounce disappeared quickly, and being up by just 1% in a liberal poll is not bad.
However when you analyze the internals, the poll looks even better. McDonnell's favorables continue to be much better than Deeds. His overall favorables are better, he has a 7% favorable lead among independents, and is more favorable among Democrats than Deeds is among Republicans. McDonnell and Deeds also have an essentially equal disapproval rating, 35% and 36% yet double the people have no opinion on Deeds than on McDonnell. That is a lot of people who can be reached out to and educated on who Creigh Deeds really is.
Even with all the good news from this poll, it was slanted Democrat. (What a shock fom a Daily Kos poll.) The poll was overpopulated with Democrats and minorities, and predicts Deeds will win NOVA 3-1. Even with a slanted poll, McDonnell still leads.
In response to the Democrat primary results, Bob McDonnell issued the following video message.
Pat Mullins the new RPV chairman also issued a press statement. The following paragraphs are some of the highlights.
“Virginia Democrats have nominated a slate of three candidates that would raise taxes as soon as possible and lead with the people’s checkbook as their weapon.Should they succeed in their mission, these three candidates would increase the financial strain on Virginians and private enterprise, depress economic growth and stifle job creation.
“Given the dismal voter turnout in their primary election, it is clear that there is little excitement in their party and an even smaller appetite for the kind of expansive government their candidates represent.By contrast, our party is enthusiastically behind our excellent ticket of Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli, as proven by the attendance of over 8,000 Republicans at our recent convention.Everywhere I travel in Virginia, local Republican interest is high, which bodes well for our chances in November.
“Finally, the rejection of Terry McAuliffe indicates that even Democrats are disillusioned about the direction their party and leadership have taken.When a wealthy, insider financed, nationally prominent, personal friend of the Clintons is rebuked in such a manner, it is a clear indicator of a party in disarray from top to bottom.On the Republican side, we are energized and look forward to the road ahead.”
As a note on the excitement that is building within the Republican Party, just like on the ticket airport tour, it appears the Republicans had packed attendances at their campaign headquarters openings.
Let's keep up the energy, stay positive, conservative, and issues oriented, and we should win in November.
Creigh Deeds is probably the scariest possible Democratic gubernatorial nominee to Republicans as he has the best shot at winning in November. He is a conservative Democrat who was endorsed by the NRA in 2005 and only lost to Bob McDonnell by 300 votes in the Attorney General race. While the conventional wisdom is that the Democrats will nominate Terry McAuliffe, Creigh Deeds seems to have the most momentum in a nomination contest that is in a statistical dead heat. After seeing the recent poll numbers I received an e-mail from Sam Rasoul announcing that he was endorsing Creigh Deeds. It is one more endorsement for a campaign that had largely been flying under the radar. It will be very interesting to see who the Democrats end up nominating in a week. Then the real fun can start.
As many of you know by now, Bob McDonnell will be kicking off his campaign with a tour of the state this weekend. If you can make any of these events, please do, and I hope you will join me in working to elect a true social conservative the next governor of Virginia in November.
Also if you are supporting Jeff Frederick as RPV chairman, you should definitely be there as well. Here are a couple articles from Spank that Donkey, and Bearing Drift about what Frederick supporters will be trying to do at these events.
Bob Kicks-off in Virginia Beach with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling Date/Time Saturday, March 28 at 5:30 P.M Location Princess Anne High School4400 Virginia Beach BlvdVirginia Beach, VA 23462(757) 618-9339 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Richmond with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling Date/Time Saturday, March 28 at 3:00 P.M. Location John Randolph Tucker High School2910 N Parham RdRichmond, VA 23294(804) 527-4600 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in NOVA with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling Date/Time Saturday, March 28 at 10:00 A.M Location Annandale Firehouse7128 Columbia PikeAnnandale, VA 22003 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Bristol Date/Time Monday, March 30 2009 at 5:00 PM Location 101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Bristol, VA Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Cedar Bluff Date/Time March 30 2009 at 3:45 PM Location Tazewell County Airport 100 Airport Rd Cedar Bluff, VA 24609 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Charlottesville Date/Time Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 1:00 PM Location 400 Emmet St SCharlottesville, VA 22903 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Lynchburg Date/Time Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 7:00 PM Location The Swann Group724 Commerce St.Lynchburg, VA 24503 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Harrisonburg Date/Time Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 4:15 PM Location James Madison UniversityTaylor Hall, Room TBD800 South Main StreetHarrisonburg, VA 22807 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Blacksburg Date/Time Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 10:00 PM Location Montgomery County GOP HQ215 Draper RdBlacksburg, VA 24060 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Petersburg Date/Time Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 10:45 AM Location Java Mio Coffeehouse322 N Sycamore StreetPetersburg, VA 23803Website: http://www.javamiocoffeehouse.com Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Fredericksburg/Mary Washington Date/Time Wednesday, April 1, 7:30 PM Location Location TBD Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Winchester Date/Time Wednesday, April 1 2009 at 8:00 AM Location Jimmy’s Restaurant (at the Quality Inn)1019 Millwood PikeWinchester, VA 22602 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Culpeper Date/Time Wednesday, April 1 2009 at 12:30 PM Location Raven’s Nest Coffee House254 E Davis StCulpeper, VA 22701 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Onley (Eastern Shore) Date/Time Wednesday, April 1, 5:00 PM Location Sunrise Restaurant Bar & Grill25345 Lankford HwyOnley, VA 23418 Form RSVP Here!
Bob Kicks-off in Emporia Date/Time Thursday, April 2, 1:00 PM Location Location TBD Form RSVP Here!
Early in this race we have witnessed the emergence of a defining issue. That issue is which candidate will stand up for Virginia’s pro-business environment, and stand up to big national unions attempting to take away the basic right of workers to cast secret ballots in workplace elections? After this week it is clear I am the only candidate running for Governor who will do this.
On Tuesday the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” was introduced in the United States Congress. This legislation, far more aptly titled “Card Check”, would eliminate a worker’s most basic right: The right to cast a secret ballot in elections to determine if a union will be organized at their place of employment. Further, under this legislation, in newly organized workplaces, if the employer and the union do not agree to a contract in the first 130 days of negotiations, an arbitration panel from the federal government can be brought in and its decision would be binding on the employer.
This legislation threatens to significantly weaken our economy at a time when we can least afford it. For that reason this bill is adamantly opposed by workers, small business owners, and local Chambers of Commerce nationwide. Warren Buffett, the legendary investor who actually supported Barack Obama for President, came forward this week to make his opposition to the legislation clear.
Warren Buffet said this: “I think the secret ballot's pretty important in the country. I'm against card check to make a perfectly flat statement."
I am too.
This week I asked my three possible Democratic opponents to join with me in standing with the workers and business owners of Virginia in opposing this legislation. Would they choose Virginia’s best interests over their national special interests? They chose their special interests. They chose the side of the big national unions.
All three refused to say a bad word about “Card Check.” Given recent reporting in The Washington Post that union donations to Virginia Democrats are reaching record levels, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the Democratic candidates positions.
It is clear. “Card Check” is a defining issue in this race. I am the only candidate running for Governor opposed to this job-killing legislation. And I know this means I have a bulls-eye on my back for big unions nationwide.
I don’t think we should turn Virginia into Southern Michigan. I believe we must oppose federal policies that would weaken and undermine our pro-business environment here in the Commonwealth. Too many jobs are on the line. If you agree, I hope you will consider joining our campaign.
Please visit www.BobMcDonnell.com to get involved in our effort to stop “Card Check” and bring new jobs and greater prosperity to every region of Virginia.
Bob
PS: Below are some news clips about “Card Check” and this campaign. I hope you’ll take a minute to check them out.
AUTHORIZED BY BOB MCDONNELL. PAID FOR BY MCDONNELL FOR GOVERNOR. Unsubscribe McDonnell For Governor | 2819 North Parham Road, Suite 210 | Richmond | VA | 23294
"This morning I announced I will step down as your attorney general to become a full time candidate for governor of Virginia."
This move will enable Bob McDonnell to focus all his time and energy on the governors race, without compromising the important work that is done in the Attorney General's office. Most importantly it will allow him to fundraise, something he is unable to do as an elected official during the legislative session. As far as a replacement, the Virginia state legislature will pick his replacement, and McDonnell is hoping it will be Chief deputy attorney general William C. Mims.
UPDATE:While the original statement from the Davis campaign was rather noncommittal, a response after this post was unequivocal that Davis was not thinking about switching races. We'll see what happens. As Bolling has shown us, things sure can change in politics. There are a number of Republicans out there who don't want Ken to get the nomination. Some of them want Davis to run for Governor.. We'll see what happens.
