Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
NBC Washington reports that former Virginia attorney general Bob McDonnell is the official Republican option for governor of the Commonwealth. McDonnell, who accepted the nomination yesterday, faced no contestant in his bid to represent the GOP. This puts him at a comparative advantage to any of the three Democratic primary candidates -- State Senator Creigh Deeds, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, and former House of Delegates Democratic Caucus leader Brian Moran -- who will need to wail on one another while resisting attacks from McDonnell. As the hilariously named Not Larry Sabato observes, it's unusual to see a fierce contest for the Democratic nomination in Virginia. A sign of changing political tides in the firmly purplish state? Is Virginia too changed for a Republican to win against an undecided Democratic convention?
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebookTips
Contribute
Latest Tip:
Check out local Singer/Songwriter Todd Wright's new project 40x40. He's writing recording and relea
[more]
I actually wouldn't say "purpleish", I'd say "blue". 2 Democrat Senators, a Democrat Governor for (nearly) 8 years. Current Democrat Governor going to be chair of the Democratic National Committee, over half of the Congressional districts Democrat, Democrat majority in the State Senate, and a not-too-bad 43 (out of 100) Democrat members of the House of Delegates (and likely to close the gap in the upcoming elections).
Virginia went for Obama 53% (to McCain's 46%) which, yes, is not not a deep, navy blue. But that split is almost identical to the 2004 and 2000 elections (Bush 54% Kerry 45%; Bush 53% Gore 45%), which means that those elections didn't reflect a deep, blood red either (no matter HOW much DC folks thought it did). The 1996 and 1992 elections were even closer.
So, yes. Personally, I'd say "blue". But if you're not ready to make that jump, a full on "purple" rather than "purpleish" is much closer to accurate.
Oh and it's unusual to see such a fierce Democratic nomination battle because the field hasn't been this open for a while. Warner was pretty much a forgone conclusion, and left with an approval rating in the 90s or something crazy like that. Kaine was his Lieutenant Governor and had his full support. Not easy or smart to run against that. So there hasn't been this big of a battle for that nomination in a good long time.