Categories
Recent Entries
- McAuliffe enlists vets of Va. campaigns
- Deeds, Moran play name game
- Another high-profile departure from Kaine’s staff
- So Nice We Used It Twice
- A voice from the not-too-distant past
Recent Comments
- By Babs from the entry 'Waiting ...'
- By jane from the entry 'PHOTO: John McCain and sons'
- By Toni Trepanier from the entry 'Waiting ...'
- By peterclarke from the entry '"Victory 2008" bus tour returns'
- By peterclarke from the entry 'Waiting ...'
- By Zadie Be from the entry 'Debate Points'
- By Joss from the entry 'Hank Williams Jr. Hurt Our Ears More than NASCAR at RIR'
- By UTRUTH from the entry 'Palin event moved'
- By Billy Johnston from the entry 'Kaine on the road for Obama'
- By american.dude61 from the entry 'Instant debate analysis'
Blog Roll
- Bacon's Rebellion
- RVABlogs
- Virginia politics blog roll
- Raising Kaine
- Too conservative
- Not Larry Sabato
- Rick Sincere
- Virginia Politics
- The Shad Plank
- Virginia Public Access Project
- Who's my legislator?
- The Contemporary Conservative
Syndicate
RSS 2.0Monthly Archives
Tyler Whitley reports that Terry McAuliffe has named a number of veterans of Virginia campaigns to his campaign leadership team.
McAuliffe, a McLean businessman, on Wednesday will announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to run for governor.
As previously disclosed, Mike Henry, who has worked in campaigns for Mark R. Warner, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, will be campaign manager. Moe Elleithee, who also has assisted Warner, Kaine and Clinton, will be senior strategist.
Delacey Skinner, who recently stepped down as communications director for Kaine, will be McAuliffe’s communications director. Pete Brodnitz, pollster for Kaine and U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, will be McAuliffe’s pollster. G. C. Morse, an editorial consultant and former speechwriter for former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, will be senior advisor.
Jeff E. Schapiro reports:
Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran, rivals for the Democratic nomination for governor, are harvesting big-name endorsements at opposite ends of the state.
Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, is being backed by 9th District Rep. Rick Boucher, who represents a vast rural region that spans from outside Roanoke to the coalfields of the southwest. Deeds hopes Boucher can pump up the vote in the countryside—that’s Deeds’ home turf—in next June’s primary.
Moran, who recently quit the House of Delegates to run full time for governor, is the choice of five big-city mayors in Hampton Roads. Until now, Moran, of Alexandria, has been emphasizing his roots in vote-rich Northern Virginia, the bulwark of the Democratic comeback that commenced in 2001.
Endorsing Moran: Paul Fraim of Norfolk, Joe Frank of Newport News, James Holley of Portsmouth, Meyera Oberndorf of Virginia Beach and Molly Ward of Hampton.
There’s a third candidate for the nomination: Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and condidante of Bill and Hillary Clinton. He’s from McLean. That means McAuliffe and Moran could split the suburban Washington vote. It’s no wonder Moran spotlighting his support in Hampton Roads.
McAuliffe isn’t expected to become an official candidate until next month, but he’s already collecting endorsements. Among them: Southwest Virginia billionaire R.J. Kirk—a Boucher constituent and big checkwriter to political-action committees run by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and U.S. Sen.-elect Mark Warner.
Their PACs have received nearly $1 million from Kirk.
Jeff E. Schapiro has this nugget:
Delacey Skinner is standing down as Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s communications director—perhaps for a job in the Obama administration or the campaign of guberantorial wannabe Terry McAuliffe.
Skinner, who was Kaine’s spokeswoman during the 2005 governor’s race, says there’s also a chance she’ll shift to the private sector.
“I’m sorting things out,“ says Skinner.
Kaine and first lady Anne Holton are planning a sendoff for Skinner Friday afternoon at the Executive Mansion.
Skinner says her job in the governor’s office will be filled. The No. 2 in the Kaine communications operation is Gordon Hickey, former politics editor of The Times-Dispatch.
Maybe imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery. Or perhaps great minds think alike.
Whatever the case, check out the new logo trotted out for Gov. Tim Kaine’s alternative energy campaign, “Renew Virginia” and the logo used on another already tried and true campaign—“Obama for America.“
Coincidence? We think not.
The Energy logo can be found at: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Renew Virginia/
The Obama logo can be found, heck, just about anywhere.
A spokesman for the governor’s office said the energy program’s logo was designed by the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Jeff E. Schapiro reports:
John Chichester—you know, the tax-raising Republican former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee who supported the tax-raising Democratic former governor, Mark Warner, for U.S. Senate—has some advice for corporate executives: use your checkbooks to get the attention of state legislators.
In remarks to Virginia FREE, the retired politico from Stafford County took a not-so-veiled shot at the conservative Republicans who still control the House of Delegates. Their shrinking majority is on the line next fall, and Chichester let it be known that he would not lose any sleep if Republicans lost their last redoubt of power on Capitol Square.
Citing the continuing standoff with Democrat-dominate Virginia Senate over transportation, Chichester said, “Quite frankly, I don’t see an exit from the morass we are in until we elect a sufficient complement of reasonable, independent thinkers to each chamber of the General Assembly, so alliances crucial to good governance can be formed.“
He added, “Only then will we move away from the governing by caucus and explaining away our failures through perfumed press releases.“
As for money, Chichester urged business leaders to forego donations to political-action committees set up support parties. Instead, they should give only to PACs that back specific causes.
That way, he says, money won’t “flow down to the most inept candidates, just to increase the party numbers. These could be people who you would never choose to support.“
Further, says Chichester, donations should be made to individual candidates and, perhaps, in smaller amounts.
“And before you write that check, make the candidate sit down with you and expalin what he is all about,“ says the retired legislator.
The effect, says Chichester, is two-fold: The cost of campaigns could shrink and “it would ensure that your dollars are supporting an individual who will focuse on the priorities that you think are important for Virginia.“
