The Pulse | Did you read that endorsement of Landes?

It wasn’t the most ringing of endorsements, to say the least.

“The preternaturally bland Steve Landes views his political career as that of a slogger trudging through legislative thickets whittling away tax and regulatory weeds. Accountants and morticians are peppier,” began the recommendation of the editorial board of the News Virginian in the 25th District published today, which went to Steve Landes, the incumbent Republican.

(Link – http://bit.ly/32GmhW.)

Which is to say, if the ed board wasn’t holding its collective nose in coming to its conclusion, said nose was curled up as if at the scent of bad milk.

And what of Marrow? Well, he gets a sort of perverse compliment from the paper for turning the “preternaturally bland” “slogger” Landes into a candidate worthy of endorsement. “Greg Marrow has accomplished something: The state House District 25 incumbent is riled and ready to rumble. This is Landes as few have seen him,” the NV offers, patting Marrow on the back for waking Landes from his slumber.

The challenge from Marrow has been squarely at the issue driving local and state elections this year – on the economy. The Marrow camp has been a bit pushy on the jobs front, in particular, to a point where I don’t entirely disagree with the observation from the NV that it’s not fair to pin the brunt of the blame for the 25th’s hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs in the last 15 years squarely on the shoulder of Landes.

I say the same for the over-the-top commercials being run by Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling trying to make Democrat Jody Wagner Public Enemy #1 for the same because of her service in economics-advisory roles in the Mark Warner and Tim Kaine administrations.

The truth, as always, is more complicated than individual campaigns are willing to concede.

That said, the NV hit the nail on the head last week in questioning in an op-ed why Landes was just now after all these years coming forward with a jobs plan of his own.

The answer to that one is clear: Greg Marrow.

One other set of plaudits for Marrow in the NV endorsement of Landes: “Marrow otherwise is a strong challenger; he’s intelligent, engaging and, yes, energetic. His day might someday come.”

For those keeping score at home, again, the endorsement ended up going not to the “intelligent, engaging and, yes, energetic” challenger, but to the “preternaturally bland” “slogger” incumbent.

You’re going to need to remind yourself of that. It would be hard to blame you for being confused on that point, considering.

 

– Column by Chris Graham