At the Fairfax County debate last week, NBC’s David Gregory asked Creigh Deeds whether he was a Barack Obama Democrat.
Deeds’ decision to write an op-ed for The Washington Post directly expressing his belief that taxes will need to be raised in order to respond to Virginia’s transportation needs has reframed the gubernatorial campaign.
In a bold way.
It has also added a statewide element to the House of Delgates races that had been, until yesterday, bereft of a unifying theme.
Now, every Democrat involved in a competitive House race will have to answer their version of the Gregory Question.
Are you a Creigh Deeds Democrat?
Their answers will tell us something important about the gubernatorial race.
If House Democrats involved in competitive races embrace Deeds’ stance, applaud him for his courage and his willingness to tell voters the truth about what is needed on transportation, it could transform the political dialogue in the last month of the campaign.
But if the House Democrats duck and run for cover, avoid the tax for transportation question altogether, and talk about how they’re simply running to meet the need of their own constituents, Deeds could be out on a limb from which he can’t return.
Before yesterday, no one could have imagined the question being raised.
Today, everyone will be expected to have an answer.
[...] notes that hardly and Democrat running in Virginia can avoid the Deeds-tax-hike question now (Virginia Tomorrow): Deeds’ decision to write an op-ed for The Washington Post directly expressing his belief that [...]