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That approach, inspired by Bill Clinton in the 1990s, served Virginia Democrats well most of the current decade (see Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Jim Webb). Then they decided to scrap the blueprint of success in favor of the rudderless mess that has marked the ’09 campaign. Live and learn, says AFP editor Chris Graham. AFP…
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Marrow, Curren face steep hills to climb Story by Chris Graham [email protected] A candidate for public office needs to shake as many hands and slap as many backs as possible. A Democratic Party candidate in the bright-red Shenandoah Valley has to work twice as hard to have a shot on Election Day. “You’ve got to…
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You’re Pierce Homer, the Secretary of Transportation in Virginia. For five years, you’ve been overseeing reforms at the Virginia Department of Transportation that have six in seven projects completed on time and on budget, nearly three times the rate of efficiency that we saw out of VDOT from the Allen and Gilmore administrations. You’ve seen…
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Allow me to let you in on a little secret. No candidate runs just to become the attorney general of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or to be the lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. They run to become governor of Virginia. They run to be able to trade in a longer title for a…
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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…
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You don’t need to go as far as gay marriage. A candidate can win the support of the LGBT community by advocating legislation that would allow employees to include gay and lesbian partners in group life-insurance policies. Indeed, it doesn’t take much to break through what Jay Fisette, the Arlington County Board of Supervisors member…
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A Washington Post endorsement reversed Creigh Deeds’ fortunes in the ’09 Democratic Party primary. Can Deeds get another boost from another Post endorsement? “If the current campaign for governor has clarified anything, it is that state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee, has the good sense and political courage to maintain the forward-looking policies…
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That’s the only way I can describe the the Democratic side in Virginia this election season. You’d think our side would have realized what Republicans have had at the forefront of their minds since last November. That this election could turn things back in the other direction. It’s a long time between now and 2012,…
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To increase government transparency and allow for more time for constituent feedback, I am urging House leaders to make sure that major legislation is available to the public on the internet for at least 72 hours before a vote. Last week, I joined with 22 of my colleagues in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi…
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Is the nine-point Bob McDonnell lead in Thursday’s Washington Post poll insurmountable? Yes and no. And the yes and no both hinge on one factor. Looking at the poll internals, one thing jumps out at me. More than half the voters surveyed, 56 percent, feel that Creigh Deeds is running a negative campaign. (As I…
