AFP InDepth | Examining Landes’ record on jobs

Chris Graham

The 2009 state elections are going to be about the economy, for obvious reasons. Steve Landes thinks this is to his benefit. “The NFIB, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, who represent small businesses, they’re supporting me, they’re not supporting you,” said Landes, who works in the marketing and public-relations department at the DuPont Community…

Poll: Thesis negatives dragging down McDonnell

Chris Graham

Has the controversy over Bob McDonnell’s 1989 graduate-school thesis had an impact on the Virginia governor’s race? A new poll suggests that it has, and that it has the potential to do more damage as more voters start to pay attention to the upcoming state elections. Fifty-two percent of the 600 registered voters surveyed by…

Why are they throwing in the towel?

Chris Graham

Interesting piece in the Washington Post from the weekend containing more of the gnashing of the teeth from the summer from the NoVans about the apparent rudderless nature of the Creigh Deeds campaign. Among the observations in the piece, filed by reporter Roz Helderman, but which otherwise read as a feature column: Deeds is not…

Deeds gets firefighters endorsement

Chris Graham

State Sen. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for governor, today received the endorsement of the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters. Sen. Deeds stood with firefighters, other emergency responders and public safety officials at a press conference at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in Virginia Beach. The VPFF, headquartered in Richmond, is the leading advocate in Virginia…

The Regent administration

Chris Graham

Monica Goodling. That’s what a Bob McDonnell gubernatorial term means. Remember Monica? The 1999 graduate of Regent University who was a top aide to Bush administration Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez? Sure, you do. She’s the lawyer from the class at the former Christian Broadcasting Network University School of Law that had 60 percent of its…

Don’t call it a comeback

Chris Graham

“Which one of your candidates is the one that fired his campaign manager?” I happened to be standing at the Staunton-Augusta Democratic Party booth at the Augusta County Fair last week when that question was directed at a volunteer. The reference was to a report from University of Virginia politics professor Larry Sabato from earlier…