If you live in the 25th Virginia Senatorial District, Creigh Deeds has earned your support for another term. We all know that Creigh fell a little short wishing to be our governor. But please do not judge our man by that miserable gubernatorial campaign that was run for him out of a temporary White House office in Alexandria. The children who ran it believed only in themselves and knew only of a Virginia with endless townhouses, gridlocked roads and the Washington Post.
There is also the state where we live, ReVa, the Real Virginia. Combined with NoVa, the White House whiz kids managed to lose the governorship by 20 percentage points.
But that’s ancient history. Creigh, like Dolly in her musical, is back where he belongs, as a state senator – for as long as he wants the job. He knows his territory and he knows the issues. Mr. Deeds was never an Obama Democrat. He is a Virginia Democrat, a reasonable politician who works well with Republicans. He is always willing to meet the opposition more than half way – if it is for a better whole.
Nevertheless, our man from Millboro has an opponent from Charlottesville, a young tax lawyer, T. J. Aldous. (No relation to that other TJ from C’ville.) I know that Republicans need only to pick up three seats in order to wrestle control of the forty-seat Virginia Senate from the Democrats. But, come on, out of the nearly 200,000 people living in Virginia’s 25th Senatorial District, could not the Grand Old Party of the Old Dominion come up with a better candidate? I guess not.
Therefore I presume that the GOP is conceding defeat in the 25th. That’s smart. It is also a smart move for Mr. Aldous and his tax law practice. A true story. In 1964 following the Goldwater-Miller landslide loss (61-39) to President Johnson, a reporter asked the previously little known VP candidate, William E. Miller, what he had learned. He said that he learned that his law practice in Lockport, New York was now doing very well, thank you.
Smart business move,TJ. And welcome back to where you belong, my good Deeds friend.
A personal note: Now that NJ Gov. Christie has told the world for the umpteenth time that he is not running for president, I have decided to establish an exploratory committee to determine whether I should throw my hat into the big ring. The committee’s first meeting will be held next Sunday at 3:00 am at an undisclosed valley location in the last remaining telephone booth in America. If you can’t make it, I’ll understand.
Column by David Reynolds
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