1. New Jersey Back on Top
I was stunned when Patrick Fitzgerald said during the Rod Blagojevich indictment that Illinois was the most corrupt state in the nation. What had happened to my home state of New Jersey? Illinois? We had thought that Louisiana was the only serious competitor for the title. Well, New Jersey successfully put the issue to rest this week as the latest sting bagged 44 people including mayors, state legislators and even five rabbis on charges ranging from simple corruption to the sale of black market kidneys. That’s right- black market kidneys. New Jersey is the only other state with a Governor’s race this year and the incumbent Democrat, Jon Corzine, is fifteen points down in the polls to his GOP challenger, Chris Christie, who made his reputation as a U.S. Attorney prosecuting corruption. With the emergent Democratic debacle in New Jersey, the Virginia race becomes even more important.
2. Sheila Johnson v. Deeds’ Republicans
It was a great week for the endorsement wars. Bob McDonnell’s announcement that Sheila Johnson, Tim Kaine’s largest individual donor and one of the most prominent businesswomen in the Commonwealth, was supporting him was a major coup for the GOP candidate and was the subject of much conversation among Democrats in D.C.. Deeds countered later in the week by with the endorsement of 8 former Republican Delegates and Senators. While at least a couple members of the group (such as Russ Potts and Panny Rhodes) have either ran as independents against Republicans or have supported Democrats for some time now, the sheer number of former GOP officeholders endorsing Deeds will make for a wonderful campaign ad. Here’s an interesting question: Who’s more important: Sheila Johnson or 8 Republicans?
3. Obama and Wilder
If anyone thinks that the Obama administration doesn’t believe that the gubernatorial race in Virginia is important, take a look at what happened this week with Doug Wilder. The White House sent its Political Director down to Richmond to meet with the former Governor, hoping to get all Democrats on board the Deeds Train early on. The effort left a lot of people scratching their heads about what the White House was thinking. Far from helping Deeds, the visit seemed to elevate the concerns that Wilder has expressed about the Democratic nominee. And I’m not sure that it will stop here. Wilder, the nation’s first African-American elected Governor, was a staunch supporter of Obama and a spokesperson for him in the national media in during the most difficult moments of the campaign, such as the controversy about Reverend Wright. I wouldn’t be surprised if members of the national media familiar with Wilder’s approach to fiscal issues begin to ask him if he supports the Obama administration’s management of the economy.
4. Grassroots Energy?
I always think that grassroots energy is an important feature of any statewide campaign. Having lost the last two Governor’s races, the GOP seems, at least to me, to be highly motivated in this year’s campaign. A conservative activist told me today that Republican “door-knocking” activities in the Richmond area already surpass what was undertaken in last year’s presidential race. By contrast, the Democratic netroots may be passionately opposed to Bob McDonnell, but have yet to exhibit the kind of energy on behalf of Deeds that we saw in the Kaine, Webb and Obama campaigns. Lowell Feld noted today that he’d like to see Deeds talking more about core progressive issues and Ben Tribbet observed that he’s yet to get excited about the Governor’s race. Neither Feld nor Tribbet supported Deeds in the primary, but the Democrats will have to have everyone on board and enthusiastic if they are going to defeat Bob McDonnell.
5. Utility Rates: Populism 2009?
The post-debate spinning contest had the Deeds campaign issuing a series of attacks on Bob McDonnell for supporting utility rate increases as Attorney General. In the 1970’s Henry Howell ran a series of populist campaigns for Lieutenant Governor and Governor promising to “keep the big boys honest,” directing his attacks at Virginia Power, the predecessor of Dominion Resources. Is Deeds planning a Howell-like initiative on utility rate increases to position himself as the real populist in the campaign?
6. “I Can’t Drive 65″
Bob McDonnell’s transportation plan offers a cover of the Sammy Hagar song with his pledge to raise the speed limit on selected highways in Virginia to 70 miles per hour. It doesn’t have much to do with solving Virginia’s transportation problems, but it may be a great way of gaining points with Virginians who live in parts of the state where gridlock isn’t an issue and wonder why they can’t drive at the same speed here that they can in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
7. Kumar V. Kaine Decided
When the Governor agreed that he would disclose his travels as DNC Chair on a monthly basis. It’s a big victory for Anita Kumar, the Washington Post reporter who was most persistent in tracing Kaine’s travels, for the Post itself that suported the effort, and for all the media outlets that wrote editorials on behalf of openess and transparency. I’m wondering if we’ll see a simlar retreat prior to the election on the rest stop closings, a decision that is appearing increasingly difficult to defend and where Creigh Deeds is doing hs best to distance himself from the administration.
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