Friday, June 26, 2009

Ballot Issues

In the General Election, when you reach for the ballot expect to see a Republican at the top of the ballot. This decision was made by the the State Board of Elections by a random drawing from a bowl. Here's what the ballot will like.

Governor

Robert McDonnell (R)

R. Creigh Deeds (D)

Lieutenant Governor

Bill Bolling (R)

Jody Wagner (D)

Attorney General

Ken Cuccinelli (R)

Steve Shannon (D)

It is worth noting that there will not be any independent or third party candidates on the statewide ballot in the fall. However, there are 26 independent candidates in the House Races. This is the first time since the 1989 election that no independents will be on the statewide ballot.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Heathcare and Our Congressmen

As the debate on health care, a whole lot of words are floating around not only on Capital Hill, but in our own backyards. There are proposals for government-run insurance plan, a publicly funded non-profit, yet privately owned co-op, and the Republicans are offering tax credits. This may sound simple when posed as three choices, but the Congress never likes to make things simple. Here is where the debate stands right now. A majority of the House and Senate Republicans support an option where the government give those who are uninsured a tax credit, where the government just doesn't take your money that you already earned because the Government sees that is better for you to spend your money on health care than paying another $5000 dollars to the IRS. Hmm, it seems good on paper yet so do many things that really aren't. The proposal gives an inadequate amount to those uninsured and fails to address the problem of cutting costs. The co-op proposal also seems well in practice, but there are many questions that remain unanswered. Are we going to drive costs down with a privately owned company with less leverage? Who knows the Congress might be throwing cash at a program that might not work? Can anyone say the the Bush Stimulus Checks that we all put in the bank when we were supposed to be "stimulating" the economy? The co-ops major draw is that it doesn't "bring us down the slippery slope of socialism" as fast as a public plan would. This solicits the support of centrist members of both caucuses like Ben Nelson, Susan Collins, and Evan Bayh. The only problem is that mainstream dems and repubs would never go for this. This fact also kills the prospect of a 70-80 vote in favor of health reform. Last, the public option is the one with the most support and the backing of the American Public. Americans as a whole support universal coverage. They also support a public plan that they believe would drastically lower skyrocketing premiums. The problem is that the public option could only gain about 59-60 votes at best, and if Mary Landreiu joins the Republicans in a filibuster, the Democrats would have to use the reconciliation option which would show desperation on the part of the Democratic leadership. The senate is where the problems will occur. I have full faith that Pelosi can whip most of her caucus to come out for the public option, along with a few from the GOP side like Ahn Cao. My faith in Harry Reid, on the other hand, is less than I would desire. The centrist dems seem to be be so concerned that the public option would hurt them with their conservative constituencies, when in fact, their vote in favor might help them. Let's hope that these conflicts of interests do not derail much needed reform to the health care industry.

When you look at our state's senators, Senior Senator Jim Webb is all for the public plan, while Senator Warner has decided to wait and see where the debate goes. We need to urge Senator Warner to stand up for Virginians and support affordable health care for all. On the Congressional side, the State's congressional Delegation is rather divided. The GOP members of the delegation like Cantor and Forbes are vehemently against a public option. Moran, Perriello, and Scott are in favor of a public plan. Nye and Boucher, like Warner, have not expressed an opinion either way on whether they support a public option or not. Please, urge your congressman to stand up for the public plan. Write or email, I don't care.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

New Poll: Deeds 42%, McDonnell 38%

A new poll released by the Democratic Governors Association today shows that Deeds is still holding a lead over his Republican opponent Bob McDonnell. While generic Republicans still hold a two point lead over Democrats, according to the poll, Deeds is not your generic Democrat. The poll shows that Deeds holds a four point lead over McDonnell. The poll also shows who voter's trust most to handle certain issues. The poll state that while voters trust McDonnell on guns, taxes and abortion, they trust Deeds more when it comes to fighting for the middle class, reaching across the aisle, education, and creating jobs. It seems like both candidates talking points are working, but it seems that Deeds' edge over McDonnell when it comes to the jobs issue is probably giving Deeds his current lead. Another interesting point that the poll shows is that Deeds is quite popular among Virginians. 48% of Virginians hold a favorable opinion of Creigh Deeds. Only 43% of Virginians hold a favorable opinion of Bob McDonnell. Deeds will need to hone his campaign on the jobs issue and maintain his favorable opinion among Virginians to maintain his lead in the polls. Keep up the good work. It's going to be a long road to November, and I think we are probably going to see dozens of these polls by the time election day rolls by.

Obama Reaches Into Volunteer Pool For Deeds

In an effort to ensure that Democrats keep the Governor's mansion for the third election cycle in a row, Obama has sent a massive email using his network of volunteers and donors to solicit support for Deeds. As a former volunteer for Obama For America, I have a copy of the email. Here it is.

Jimmy --

Last Tuesday, Creigh Deeds won the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia. In a hard-fought race, Creigh ran a terrific campaign and beat two fierce competitors by winning votes in every corner of the Commonwealth.

I know a thing or two about tough primaries, and I know a thing or two about running tough races in Virginia. Creigh Deeds' victory once again shows the power of people at the grassroots to win elections and bring about lasting change -- and he will be a better candidate this fall because of his hard work to win the nomination.

Creigh has been a dedicated public servant his entire life. As a county prosecutor and state legislator, he's been a strong advocate for economic development, high-quality education, and affordable health care -- and he's gone to great lengths to protect the environment and institute smart public transportation.

Now he needs your help to make sure Democrats retain the Virginia governorship. Please visit his website and get involved today.

Creigh has an ability to bring people together, build consensus and deliver results. He will bring the same bipartisan, pragmatic approach to politics that former Governor and now Senator Mark Warner and my friend Governor Tim Kaine used to help Virginia move forward over the past eight years.

I know that approach works because I've spent some time in your great Commonwealth. In my experience, Democratic candidates with a pragmatic approach to solving problems can be successful. That's the approach my campaign took last November to put Virginia in the Democratic column for the first time since 1964. And that's how Creigh Deeds will win this fall.

Learn more about Creigh, and get involved today:

http://www.deedsforvirginia.com

I look forward to working with Creigh to keep the Commonwealth strong and to bring about the economic recovery and renewed prosperity Virginians demand and deserve.

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

Pretty cool to have the President on your side.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Debate Time

Jody Wagner, the Democrat's candidate for lieutenant governor, has just raised the stakes in her bid to unseat incumbent Republican Bill Bolling. In an open challenge to Bolling, Jody requested that the two spar in five monthly debates. Now that's a whole lot of talking. This move will put both candidates on their feet and increase the possibility of a "maccaca moment" for either candidate. Jody also wants the debates to occur in different regions across our diverse state. In a written statement from Mrs. Jody Wagner, she said:"I believe it's important that voters have a clear understanding of both candidates, including our records, priorities and visions for the future." Bolling's camp has stated that they have not made contact with the Wagner campaign. "I'm confident there will be opportunities for debates during the course of the campaign," Bill Bolling's Campaign Manager Matt Wells said. I guess we'll all be wondering whether the Bolling and Wagner folks can coordinate something like this. As voters, we should encourage this public discourse as it leads to a well-informed electorate and healthy debate.

Source: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/LGOV12_20090611-221201/273401/

Virginia Democrat Lovefest: Round 2

This Saturday, Virginia Democrats rallied once again for party unity. This time the location was none other than on the campus of William & Mary in Williamsburg. Governor Tim Kain was on hand at the event as well as the ever popular Senator Mark Warner. In a speech at the event, Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor, promised to govern in the footsteps of his predecessors, Warner and Kaine. "Both Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are popular, successful governors,'' Deeds said. "We're going to build on what [they] have already done." The event was also the first time that the entire statewide Democratic ticket appeared together with Jody Wagner, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, and Steve Shannon, the Democrat running for Attorney General. Other Democratic Party VIPs also made appearances at the event including Representative Bobby Scott, Senator James Webb, and many members of the Democratic Caucus in the General Assembly. There is no better way to celebrate a nice lead in a new Rasmussen poll than some Democratic star power and some good barbeque, and the Democrats did just that.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Deeds Earns Backing of American Federation of Government Employees

Today, the American Federation of Government Employees endorsed State Senator and Democratic Candidate for Governor R. Creigh Deeds for Governor. The federal employee labor union has a heavy infuence in the vote-rich region of Northern Virginia. The American Federation of Government Employees is the nation's largest unions for Federal Employees with over 30,000 members. Today, it promised Deeds its full backing, and with their endorsment, the union intends to support Deeds with ground troops and massive organization efforts to mobilize votes across the state of Virginia. "We do not endorse unless we also put our folks' feet on the street," said AFGE Political Director Bob Nicklas. In a statement today, AFGE vice presidents Joe Flynn and Dwight Bowman said, " Senator Deeds has proven himself to be a friend of Virginia’s working families."

However,the union made it clear that this was not a difficult decision to make. They had no intention of endorsing the Republican Bob McDonnell. "He's going to move Virginia backwards and we need to move Virginia forward," Nicklas said. This endorsement would make their stalwart support of Democratic candidates consistents. In the past, the AFGE has endorsed Governors Chuck Robb, Mark Warner, and Tim Kaine. The union also lent its support to Democratic Senator Jim Webb in his challenge to former Republican Senator George Allen durring the 2006 midterm elections.

Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/06/afge_endorses_creigh_deeds_for.html?hpid=news-col-blog

New Poll: Deeds 47%, McDonnell 41%

A new poll released by the Republican-leaning pollster Rassmussen Reports gives Creigh Deeds a six point lead over his Republican opponent Bob McDonnell. 47% of the electorate would cast their vote for Deeds, while only 41% of voters would vote for McDonnell. In the survey, Democrats are now more unified over Republicans. 89% of Democrats now support Deeds. Only 78% of Republicans are behind their nomminee. The survey asked several questions on who voters thought would better handle certain issues. Voters trusted McDonnell on taxes and controlling spending, but voters trusted Deeds to fix the longstanding transportation problems. The survey also showed that Governor Kaine still has very high approval numbers. 62% of voters approve of the governor's job performance, while 52% of Virginians aproove of President Obama's performance.


Virginia Survey of 500 Likely Voters
June 10, 2009

Robert McDonnell (R)
41%
Creigh Deeds (D)
47%
Some Other Candidate
2%

Source: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_2009/virginia/election_2009_virginia_governor_election

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Virginia Democrat Lovefest

After a bitter and nasty primary campaign, with divisive exchanges about guns and out-of-state campaign cash, this year's cast of gubernatorial hopefuls, Brian Moran and Terry McAuliffe, appeared at a rally at the Virginia Democratic Party Headquarters in Richmond. Governor Kaine also appeared to support Creigh Deeds. After saying that Creigh Deeds "can't win" i n November, he says he "will do anything that Creigh asks him to do" to ensure that Creigh wins the race in the fall. The president also called Mr.Deeds today to congratulate him on his landslide victory in the primary. With our state's governor's new role as DNC Chairman and the fact that Virginia is one of two states to have a governor's race this year, a whole lot of Democratic cash is going to be pumped into this race to retain this seat for the Democratic Party. With Virginia's open seat and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's vulnerability, the Democrats are playing defence following a stunning offence over the past two years that has given them control of the Congress, White House, and a majority of the governor's seats, so a unified Democratic Party is needed for Deeds to pull out of this race with a win in November.

Watch the Unity Rally with remarks from Governor Warner, Terry McAuliffe, Brian Moran, and Democratic Nominee Creigh Deeds.

McDonnell Congratulates Deeds on Primary Victory

In a statement released by Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell, he congratulates Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds for yesterday's primary victory. In his statement, he also joked around that Deeds need to "take a vacation" after a hard fought campaign. While Mr. McDonnell wishes that Creigh was on vacation, Creigh Deeds is already hard at work and gearing up for another hard race heading into the November's election.

Watch McDonnell congratulate Deeds here.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Deeds-Wagner 2009

Do I know how to pick a candidate or what? Jody Wagner and Creigh Deeds bring a practical experience in the fashion of Governors Warner and Kaine. Their center-left politics are what will have McDonnell-Bowling quaking in their boots. I endorsed this ticket prior to the election knowing that this team could stand the best chance in November. Many point to Deeds' loss in 2005 as a reason for not voting for him, but his day will come in November. Deeds is more prepared than ever to not only beat McDonnell, but he will compete in rural areas like his home county of Bath,VA. Don't let McDonnell fool you, he is no centrist. He is paling around with the like of Gingrich and Gilmore and Virginia can do much better than that. Democrats unite around Creigh Deeds and Jody Wagner! Bring it on GOP!

Democratic Primary Results and Commentary: Live Blog

* 6:55 EST: Polls close in five minutes.
* 7:00 EST: Polls close right about, now.
* 7:04 EST: Word of low turnout in Shenandoah. Bad weather may affect the results in NOVA.
* 7:09 EST: The Political Spin Begins. Moran Camp is "cautiously optimistic". McAuliffe Camp thinks they did well in NOVA, and Deeds Camp is "pretty confident".
*7:11 EST: This sucks that none bothered to do an exit poll!!!
*7:13 EST: Seems like many people had the same experience I did. They were the only person in line to vote!!! Shame,shame, shame!!!
*7:16 EST: Results so far:

Governor - 1% reporting

Deeds - 67% [655 votes]
McAuliffe - 18% [180 votes]
Moran = 14% [138 votes]

Lt. Governor - 1% reporting

Wagner - 60% [494 votes]
Signer - 29% [235 votes]
Bowerbank - 11% [91 votes]

* 7:21 EST: Seems like Deeds has opened up an early lead!

*7:23 EST: . Creigh Deeds 4,948 54.09%

Brian J. Moran 2,110 23.06%

Terry R. McAuliffe 2,089 22.83%

* 7:25 EST: Lt. Governor - 2% reporting

Wagner - 68% [3,249 votes]
Signer - 26% [1,271 votes]
Bowerbank - 6% [281 votes]

* 7:26 EST: Nice lead for Wagner! Signer should have invested in TV buys! It seems to have paid off for Wagner!

* 7:28 EST: Governor - 5% reporting

Deeds - 52% [6,756 votes]
Moran = 25% [3,209 votes]
McAuliffe - 23% [3,014 votes]

Lt. Governor - 5% reporting

Wagner - 70% [7,529 votes]
Signer - 25% [2,680 votes]
Bowerbank - 5% [591 votes]

* 7:31 EST: Thank you, Daily Kos and 538!!!

* 7:35 EST: Even more returns:
Governor - 13% reporting

Deeds - 53% [20,797 votes]
McAuliffe - 24% [9,289 votes]
Moran - 23% [9,183 votes]

Lt. Governor - 12% reporting

Wagner - 74% [23,776 votes]
Signer - 23% [7,276 votes]
Bowerbank - 4% [1,187 votes]

* 7:37 EST: Even more returns:

R. Creigh Deeds 36,046 51.10%
Terry R. McAuliffe 17,473 24.77%
Brian J. Moran 17,019 24.12%

* 7:39 EST: About 1/4th of the results are in. My money is on Deeds and Wagner!!!
* 7:41 EST: Looking at the results, I'm ready to project!!! Jody Wagner is the Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor!!!
* 7:45 EST: Deeds racking big margins across the state!!! McAulliffe is doing well in Greensville!!! Moran is performing in Alexandria!!! Deeds and McAuliffe neck and neck in Newport News!!!
* 7:49 EST: Deeds wins Chesterfield!!! OK, I'm calm now! I'm one of 5000 odd voters who turned out for Deeds!
* 7:51 EST: Poor Terry, he pumped so much cash to do so poorly!!! :( for you.
* 7:52 EST: Deeds, still is running at more than 50% in a 3-way race!
* 7:54 EST: I'm done. I'm calling the race for Deeds!!! With a 25 point lead over T-Mac and a larger lead over Moran, Deeds has a large enough margin to hold his lead! Deeds is the winner!!!

A Little Off-Topic: A Testament To Kaine's Fiscal Management

I know I'm a little off topic on an election day to speak about bond rating. Standards and Poor's has given its highest and most coveted credit rating of AAA to the $139 million in new general obligation bonds. “The rating reflects what we view as the Commonwealth’s strong and broad-based economy that in the past decade has grown at a faster pace than the national average,” says S&P Credit Analyst Karl Jacob inside the report. The report cite our Commonwealth's sound fiscal management and our well diversified economy that has fared well in one of the worst recessions in recent history. S&P has given Virginia's other obligation bonds with a AAA credit rating. This is truly a testament to Governor's Warner and Kaine's bipartisan governing that makes our commonwealth one of the best managed states in the nation.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/06/08/daily29.html

Visual Aids

Pre-results Commentary

Alright, I went out to the polls with my grandfather to get a feel of how turnout was going. I have one keen observation. Turnout in Central VA is low. This is the first primary election that post-Obama, and I have to give Obama credit for one thing: he sure can turn out voters to elections that people really don't care about. I'm really disappointed at how apathetic voters have been on off-year elections. Off-year congressional, statewide, and local elections are much more important than most folks realize.

Anyways, enough of my rambling about my disappointment in the turnout. Deeds recent momentum has only been a recent polling anomaly that began to show up in Public Policy Polling surveys a few weeks back due to the WaPo endorsement. Until most recently, Mr. McAuliffe had a sizable lead over the rest of the pack. In the polls that showed McAuliffe leading, there were still many undecideds. Over time, the undecideds went overwhelmingly towards Deeds. Accoring to Survey USA, Deeds should lead Independents, Republicans, and should slightly edge out McAuliffe and Moran for a nice little lead among registered Republicans. The low turnout could prove to be an aid to McAuliffe who has an excellent organization running a really good ground game here in Virginia. Moran also has good name recognition in NOVA, so I wouldn't count him out in that region. While I do feel the race may be called pretty early for Mr.Deeds, if early numbers show a tight race, we may be in for a long night.

Civic Duty

I woke up bright and early to participate in today's election. I went out and went to my polling place to vote for our party's nominee for governor and lieutenant governor. I was shocked to see that the turnout was low. We need to exercise our constitutional obligation and get out to vote. Our Nation was founded upon democratic principle and the founders would be ashamed to see an American public take for granted what they worked so hard to establish. Don't stop with just voting make sure that you're friends and family have also voted. Drive the elderly to polling places. Fight for what you believe in. God bless all that voted and exercised their civic duty. Every vote counts!!!

Monday, June 8, 2009

McAuliffe Wins Road Sign Race

McAuliffe surely would win the Governors Race if the number of road signs he had equaled the number of votes he was getting in tomorrow's primary. As I'm travelling down Hull Street, I see one after another road signs that say: Terry McAuliffe For Governor. It is kind of annoying. I hear that it is worse in Northern Virginia. There is no escaping it. I thought he wanted to save the trees, not cut all of them down in the course of a campaign. When does the madness end???

Jody Wagner For Lieutenant Governor

While many pundits are amazed at how Creigh Deeds has managed to pull away from a distant third place to an anticipated victory, many have paid little attention to the race for Lieutenant Governor. Among the two choices for the post, the decision couldn't be easier. With all the qualifications that Jody Wagner can boast of, from being Warner's state treasurer to being Kaine's Secretary of Finance, I'd be endorsing her to be governor. She clearly possess more experience than her opponent Mike Signer. Mike does bring his own unique experience and has quite a good resume as both a policy wonk and political insider. Hopefully, Signer will find a post in the Deeds Administration ( cross your fingers) where he can expand his credentials. I truly do feel that one day Signer will find a promising future, but for now, Jody's time has come.

026 by jodywagner.

What a team!!!

Creigh Deeds For Governor

After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to endorse the candidate who is best equipped to govern in 2010 and take on the Republican machine that is waiting to reclaim the Governor's Mansion. Creigh Deed is more than qualified to be the Governor of Virginia with his leadership of the Democratic Caucus in the General Assembly to his tenure as a State Senator. He has quite the following in the rural parts of Virginia similar to the base that Senator Warner was able to build with his 2001 Gubernatorial Campaign. His work on several bills like Megan's Law and his interest in under the radar issues like redistricting reform cast Deeds as an unconventional candidate. With nearly 18 years of experience in the legislature, Deeds is a work horse who will use his experience in lawmaking to bring about the change Virginia needs.

While I respect Terry McAuliffe and his political expertise, I feel that McAuliffe has a lack of experience and his prior exposure to the media can prove to be his downfall in a general election campaign. One moment where Terry was downing liquor on Morning Joe following the South Dakota Primary brings back some interesting memories of McAuliffe. Brian Moran would also make a fine Governor, but I just don't feel that he has the wide appeal across the state that Deeds possesses. His popularity seems to be confined to his Northern Virginia base. Moran also does not possess the wide array of experience that Deed's has. Both Moran and McAuliffe possess a knack for public speaking and can sell themselves very well. While Moran and McAuliffe are show ponies, Deeds is the work horse that Virginia needs.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Other Race

With the Virginia Governor's Race garnering national attention, there is one race in particular that has received little attention at all. That would be the horse race for Lieutenant Governor. There are two candidates in the running to be the Democratic Nominee who takes on the current Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling.

Our first candidate is Jody Wagner. Wagner has quite the resume. Prior to her work with the state government, Jody Wagner studied law at Vanderbilt University and earned a Juris Doctor. She spent 18 years working at a law firm in Norfolk. In 2000, she ran as the Democratic Candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, but she ultimately lost to Ed Schrock. She was appointed by Governor Mark Warner to be the state's Treasurer. Under her tenure, Virginia saw a period of superb fiscal management and Virginia was rated as one of the best managed states in the nation. Wagner also served as the President of the National Association of State Treasurers. Governor Kaine appointed Jody to fulfill the role as Secretary of Finance in his administration. Her website describes Jody as a wise caretaker of this state's fiscal resources who will work to invest in education and infrastructure and expand healthcare coverage.

The other candidate to throw his hat into the ring is Mike Signer. Mike Signer has worked in the political arena mainly as an insider. With a J.D. from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D.
from the University of California at Berkley, he has worked as a deputy councilor to Governor Warner on Homeland Security and National Guard Policy. Signer has also worked for the Center for American Progress as a senior policy advisor. He has also worked on several political campaigns. During the 2004 presidential elections, Signer worked for the Wesley Clarke for President Campaign as an associate communications director. He also worked for John Edwards as a senior policy advisor. Most recently, Signer was a senior strategist for the Tom Perriello Congressional Campaign that unseated Republican incumbent Virgil Goode. He has also worked for the Obama Veteran's Policy Development Team. He also wants to expand health care coverage and bring jobs back to our commonwealth. He also has taken a keen interest in Veteran's affairs.

Each candidate offers a diverse array of qualifications and ideas. On Tuesday, the decision is your on who will represent our party to victory and reclaim the lieutenant governorship for the Democrats. Tomorrow, I will endorse the candidate who is best qualified and best fit to win in November.


Friday, June 5, 2009

2009 Gubinatorial Race(for dummies)

Alright, Tuesday's primary is swiftly approaching and you have no clue who you are voting for. Perhaps, you don't even know who is on the ballot. I am here to solace you with the fact that you still have two whole days to decide who you're voting for. In actuality, that is really not a long amount of time, so I'm going to do your homework for you. To quote the complete idiot, Bill O'Reilly,"Get ready to enter the No Spin Zone!".

In the first corner is former DNC Chairman and Clinton Coffer, Terry McAuliffe. from McLean. He's a newcomer to Virginia politics, mainly sticking to being a Washington insider with close ties to the Clinton family. He frequently describes himself as a "Jobs Governor"(if he wins). To bolster his credentials that are pretty much exclusive to being a member of the party machine, he cites his prior experience in management with Federal City National Bank and Telergy as a credential that makes him best suited to be Governor. He has garnered the support of several Firefighter's Unions and the League of Conservation Voters. His most powerful endorsement come from his former boss and close friend, Former President Bill Clinton. McAulliffe pushes for a green economy and investment in education. McAullife's biggest strength as a candidate is his massive fundraising capacity that could give him the money needed to take on the powers of the RNC and RGA who are going to pump tons of cash into Virginia to ensure that Bob McDonnell resides in the Governor's Mansion in 2010.

Our next contender is Brian Moran who used to represent Alexandria in the House of Delegates until he recently resigned to pursue his gubernatorial ambitions. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1995-2008. He advocated raising teacher's wages and investing in transportation infrastructure. His brother, Jim Moran, is a Democratic member of Virginia's Congressional Delegation and represents the 8th Congressional District. On his website, he describes himself as an environmental progressive and works to preserve this nation's beauty through bold policy to combat the effects of pollution and global warming. He also has worked as a legislator to combat drunk driving through legislation. He was leader of the House Democratic Caucus until his resignation. He has been endorsed several mayors including Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones.

The last, but certainly not least of our contenders for the Democratic Nomination is State Senator Creigh Deeds. He was born and raised in the rural Bath County, Virginia. It is important to note that he is the only native son in the Governor's Race whether it be Republican or Democrat. Creigh Deeds served in the House of Delegates from 1991 until 2001. In the House of Delegates, he was leader of the House Democratic Caucus, and wrote several important pieces of legislation including Megan's Law, which allows for the information of registered sexual offenders to become public knowledge. After winning a special election in 2001, Creigh Deeds has been a member of the Virginia State Senate. In 2005, Deeds ran against Bob McDonnell for the position of Attorney General. Unfortunately, Deeds lost by an extremely narrow vote margin of fewer than 350 votes. Creigh Deeds has one of the highest voting records of the NEA, 93%, of all the Gubernatorial candidates. As governor, Deeds would push for protecting the environment, investment in education and infrastructure, and redistricting reform. Deeds has been endorsed by several newspapers including: the Washington Post, the Bristol Herald Courier, and the Martinsville Bulletin. Congressman Rick Boucher of the rural 9th Congressional District of Virginia has also endorsed Deeds.

As you may see, the field of options is wide and diverse. From the rural state Senator Creigh Deeds to the outspoken party insider Terry McAuliffe to the former Delegate Brian Moran, the choice on Tuesday is yours. Choose wisely. Tomorrow, I will make an endorsement for who I think is best fit to lead Viginia and who will lead the Demoratic Ticket in the fashion of Goverors Warner and Kaine.