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???

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.

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.