Election 2013: Governor McDonnell congratulates Terry McAuliffe

Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement Tuesday night regarding the election of Terry McAuliffe as the 72nd governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“I want to congratulate Terry McAuliffe on his election as the next governor of Virginia. There is no higher honor than serving in the same office once held by Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. Virginia is a Commonwealth of tremendous history and opportunity; this is the place where America began. The privilege of serving as governor carries with it immense responsibility, and I know Terry McAuliffe will act in the best interests of the more than 8 million people who call Virginia home.

“Elections are long, tough, hard-fought affairs. But they have an end date. For the 2013 campaign, that date is today. Now, the signs, stickers and ads must be put away. In their place must come comity, cooperation and a commitment to working together, across party lines, to continue to improve the quality of life of all Virginians. That’s what we’ve tried to do over the last four years.

“Virginia has been named 'America’s Best State for Business.' Our unemployment rate is the lowest in the Southeast, and the third-lowest east of the Mississippi River. Our colleges are more affordable and accessible. Our state pension system has been fixed. Our K-12 system is innovative and productive. Our transportation system finally has the long-term, sustainable funding and reforms it has long needed. We’ve posted four-straight budget surpluses, held the line on general fund spending and our Rainy Day Fund will soon grow to over $1 billion. This is the direct result of bipartisan cooperation in the service of making life better for the people of Virginia and getting results. I’m confident that Governor-elect McAuliffe will continue this great progress.

“Four years ago the people of Virginia honored me with their votes and this office. I can never thank my fellow Virginians enough for the trust they placed in me. Immediately after winning, then-Governor Tim Kaine reached out personally and offered the full assistance of his administration in our transition. The Kaine administration could not have been more helpful in the two months that followed. They made the transition as seamless and smooth as it possibly could have been. Now, we look forward to doing the same for Governor-elect McAuliffe and his team. I have already spoken to the Governor-elect and let him know that we are ready to assist with the transition and prepared to offer all the help his team will need as they prepare to lead our great Commonwealth forward for the next four years.

“Election nights are emotional times. For the winner there is the thrill of victory, combined with the recognition that the hard work preceding this moment is but a prelude to the tremendous effort yet to come. For those who fall short, there is the sadness of seeing such exertion, passion and time not produce the hoped-for result. With that in mind, I wish my friend Ken Cuccinelli the very best as he moves forward from tonight. I hope Ken will continue to stay involved in the public life of our state, and I thank him for serving our administration well as attorney general, and giving his all to public service and the campaign. I also congratulate Mr. Sarvis for running, with limited resources, a good and strong campaign.

“Again I congratulate Governor-elect McAuliffe, and I pledge to work in partnership over the next two months to ensure a smooth transition of power that is in keeping with the grand history of our beloved Commonwealth, and that best prepares the Governor-elect and his team for their public service over the next four years.”

And then there were 5: News-Virginian endorses no one for governor

Conservative Shenandoah Valley newspaper The News-Virginian has declined to endorse any of the three candidates for governor in the 2013 Virginia campaign.

That now makes five newspapers who have passed on this endorsement: Richmond Times-Dispatch, Roanoke Times, News & Advance, and News Progress and, today, the News-Virginian to that growing list.

Addressing the campaign, the News Virginian wrote:

It’s ... been one of the nastier ones in recent memory, with both Democratic and Republican nominees focusing too much time on attacking their opponent and too little on talking up their own plans for the Commonwealth. If that’s an indication of how their administration would be, we can’t endorse any of the candidates in this year’s race. We’ve seen too much bickering and attacking in Washington. It just takes up time and accomplishes little.

This is notable because the News-Virginian is a relatively conservative newspaper in the conservative Shenandoah Valley, one of the reddest parts of the Commonwealth, with conservative representatives who often go unchallenged. Indeed, in 2013 the three local delegates for the House of Representatives who represent the SWAC area, have no opponents as noted by News-Virginian political reporter Bob Stuart earlier this week in his article, "Local House members face clear path to re-election."

Reflecting the sour mood of the electorate in this election cycle, two newspapers -- the Daily Progress and Roanoke Times suggested writing in Republican Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling.

Election 2013 has, indeed, been an odd one.

Rasmussen: McAuliffe +17 points - UPDATED

Rasmussen Poll released October 22, 2013

Terry McAuliffe (D): 50%
Ken Cuccinelli (R): 33%
Robert Sarvis (L): 8%

Election Day is in two weeks.

Update: Quinniapiac Poll out October 23:

McAuliffe: 46%
Cuccinelli: 39%
Sarvis: 10%

Quinnipiac seems more in line with other polls than yesterday's Rasmussen.  Real Clear Politics has McAuliffe's average at +9.6%.

Saturday's debate: The biggest winners were not there

For some in the ballroom at Saturday's gubernatorial Homestead debate, the two men standing at the podiums were not the ones they had expected, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch pointedly touched on that in Tuesday's editorial:

We said at the beginning [of this editorial] that the biggest winners were not at the Omni Homestead Resort. Their names were Bill Bolling and Robert Sarvis. Bolling, of course, is the lieutenant governor who (1) dropped out of the campaign for the GOP gubernatorial nomination after the party’s scheming sachems boosted Cuccinelli when they switched the process from a primary to a convention, and (2) declined to run as an independent. If he had joined the debate and had lived up to his potential, he would have run away with the crown. If Bolling were to ascend to the governorship, a write-in campaign could become feasible.

Sarvis is the Libertarian nominee. A June 23 Op/Ed column by A. Barton Hinkle described his virtues; a box on the same page listed his stands on various issues. Polls suggest Sarvis attracts more support than usual for third-party candidates in Virginia. He could become a factor in the race and deserves attention from analysts and citizens.

Touché.

Observations at the Homestead gubernatorial debate

The Homestead early Saturday morning.

We arrived early at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs for the Virginia Bar Association (VBA) gubernatorial debate between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli after leaving home at 8:00 Saturday morning for the leisurely, one-hour drive over the mountains.

Everyone and his brother has written about the debate and there's not really much more I could add to that so I'll pass along some out-of-the-way observations....

Ken Cuccinelli ... walking in George Allen's boots? Were those cowboy boots he was wearing with that lawyer suit on Saturday?

Chris LaCivita, part of the Cuccinelli's entourage for their pre-debate mike check, dropped his name tag in the hallway. Yellow ... all access ... hmm. Wonder if I could get away with it? Tried to get his attention as he hurried away so retrieved the name tag and handed it off to Cuccinelli campaign  manager Dave Rexrode in the ballroom. With an all access pass ... oh, the places I could go?

Pre-debate was a flurry of activity as media worked to get set up. This is a community where many knew others as they called greetings to one another.

Mike Stark

Cue the "Twilight Zone" music ... sitting at the table in front of me was Mike Stark. If you don't recognize the name, you weren't blogging in 2006. We've jostled on the blogging front lines -- liberal Democrat versus conservative Republican -- throughout the years so I asked to get his photo to prove his presence to my fellow SWAC bloggers. He was congenial as we discussed issues like energy and Obamacare ... kind of a surreal feeling.

Brian Coy with the McAuliffe campaign came by press tables to meet everyone and hand out a fact sheet. A young man with America Rising, the Republican youthful outfit, stopped by with an information sheet and introduced himself.

Bob Brown, photo-journalist, Richmond Times-Dispatch

As always, I enjoyed sitting with local political reporter Bob Stuart from the Daily Progress/News-Virginian. Look for his article about the debate in Sunday's paper. Bob Brown, longtime photo-journalist from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, was there -- love his work so stopped by to say hi and chatted a moment with him. There was no sighting of the TD's political writer Jeff Schapiro. His bow tie was missed.

Ellen Qualls

Bob pointed out Ellen Qualls, who kind of made her name working with Mark Warner and is now a consultant to the McAuliffe campaign, was standing nearby. State Senator Creigh Deeds was seen in the audience.

The debate began with introductions of the candidates and then intro of Judy Woodruff, co-anchor of the "PBS NewsHour." There was a slight hiccup when Ms. Woodruff offered the podium to McAuliffe to begin opening statements, only to be told by Cuccinelli that he was to be first. She apologized and tossed it over to him. Later in the debate, Cuccinelli again corrected Woodruff's question rotation. Awkward.

Afterward, both candidates offered a brief interview opportunity for the media. In the middle of the cluster pictured above was Terry McAuliffe.

As I was leaving the ballroom after the debate, Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis was outside the doors greeting folks. I got his photo and talked briefly with him, asking how he felt about not being included in the debate and if he hoped to be in future ones.  He was upbeat and said he's working to make that happen.

Just down the hall stood Greg Letiecq in the hallway talking with someone so I patted him on the arm as I passed. NoVa was in the house....

Heavy media coverage. Extra tables were brought in after all seats were taken.

Someone's cell phone went off at 12:25 on Republican side of ballroom -- it was playing some kind of country song that went on for several seconds while Cuccinelli was speaking -- another awkward moment.

Many thanks to Marilyn Shaw with the VBA who does a great job year after year of communicating with the press and including bloggers. The Homestead was gorgeous, as always. Another year, another VBA debate tucked away into the archives. It's less than four months until election day.

I never tire of the drive to the Homestead on the back roads of western Virginia. Those who know me know I have to post the obligatory rural photo, this one taken near my home as I started out on my morning journey to Hot Springs. Hay bales, mountains, chicory ... serenity.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 20, 2013