The Bloggers Candidate for Governor?

By: James Martin
Published On: 12/19/2007 2:00:19 PM

For some reason this quote from the Roanoke based blog- Rick Howell Speaks- caught my eye:

On both of those occasions, Deeds, as he always does, displayed the infectious enthusiasm for all things Democrat that has made him so popular in our party and, in particular, on the Virginia blogosphere...

He's smart as a whip, talented, approachable, and has worked particularly hard to help Democrats in the Sixth District (his home district) and throughout the state. He's been in the House and the Senate, and is eminently prepared to be governor.

Is Senator Deeds as popular on the blogs as Rick Howell believes he is? Judge for yourself- Two full years before the election and Creigh has the announced support of a number of prominent Virginia Bloggers (these were just the ones I could find)- Waldo Jaquith, Mark Brooks, Johnny Camacho, Dan Geroe, Jackson Landers, JDalton, Cliff Garstang, Gordie, thegools, legacyofmarshall, misterblaine, Granny Doc, virginia cynic, DistrictDonkey, and myself.

Below the fold- I posted Charlottesville Mayor David Brown's endorsement of Creigh- It's exceptionally thorough and I really recommend everyone check it out:
I've known Creigh Deeds since he was elected our State Senator in 2001 to the seat held by the late Emily Couric.

Emily will always have a special place in our hearts, and we're pleased to have Senator Deeds carrying on her progressive ideals in Richmond. He's always protected a woman's right to choose, and has a proven and deep commitment to education. And as we all grow more concerned about the environment and the global warming effects of greenhouse gases we can count on his leadership.

The announcement last week that Senator Deeds is running for Governor is great news for Virginia. If we want to build on the progress we've made in the past few years, our next Governor must continue the Warner-Kaine brand of leadership that is about finding common ground and delivering results. I'm supporting Senator Deeds for Governor and here's why:

Senator Deeds is the progressive leader who can win a statewide election for Governor. When Virginia needed a leader to clean up one of our most toxic landfills, Senator Deeds was there to take on the challenge. When our state troopers and deputy sheriffs weren't getting the support they needed, he worked with Mark Warner to ensure they had the pay, the training and the tools to keep us safe. He knows what it takes to win a statewide campaign and once elected he'll go to work for all of us.

He understands our values and shares our priorities. When he announced, Deeds spoke of making Virginia "the best place to live, work, and raise a family...the best place for all of us to call home." Senator Deeds has spent his career fighting for good jobs and economic development, making our public schools, colleges and universities the best in the nation, increasing access to health care and making sure our seniors can live comfortably in retirement.

Despite the varying challenges and issues in Virginia's different regions, Senator Deeds has a record of delivering results by bringing people together. Politicians talk about bipartisanship every day, but Deeds doesn't just talk about it, he delivers. Where other members of the legislature have failed, Senator Deeds builds a coalition of leaders from both parties to get the job done.

Most importantly, Senator Deeds is a listener and a consensus builder. As the mayor of the city of Charlottesville, I need partners in state government who will bring people together to get things done and who understand that finding common ground requires hard work and leadership.

Senator Deeds is that partner for me and my colleagues in Charlottesville; he's an advocate for all his constituents; and, if we come together to elect him our next Governor, he'll be a leader for all Virginians.

All my best,

David Brown
Mayor, City of Charlottesville

Comments



I'm honestly undecided... (Ambivalent Mumblings - 12/19/2007 4:10:35 PM)
As of now, I have to admit that I am undecided. I've interacted with both of them over the years and believe either one would make an excellent governor. I just haven't decided which one I believe would be the better option.

When you stop and think about it, however, I suppose that is a good sign because we aren't just stuck with trying to decide which is the lesser of two evils. Instead, we're trying to figure out which of two excellent candidates is the one we support.



There's only one candidate right now (Lowell - 12/19/2007 4:41:05 PM)
I think most everyone likes Creigh, but let's see who else gets in the race in 2008 before we jump to any conclusions about the "bloggers' candidate."


I like Creigh too (True Blue - 12/19/2007 5:24:33 PM)
But I agree with Lowell: it is too early to annoint anyone for 2009.  Better to focus on 2008.


Exactly. (Lowell - 12/19/2007 5:27:44 PM)
It is WAYYY jumping the gun to get into 2009 right now.  No thanks.


Let me just say... (Johnny Camacho - 12/21/2007 6:31:41 AM)
That I would be in agreement with you, were I not a Bath County resident, and, therefore, predestined to support Creigh in a situation such as this.


James (Mark - 12/19/2007 4:57:12 PM)
On the same thread at Waldo's, I also mentioned I support Creigh Deeds for Governor.

I know I am not very high profile, but there you have it.



Creigh Deeds (Gordie - 12/19/2007 5:08:37 PM)
Is this bloggers candidate. His backing of other Democratic candidates and the party any where in the state is outstanding. Name any person who may even being thinking about running who has been state wide supporting candidates year, after year, after year. When ever any local party needs a last minute speaker, Creigh is there.

I can understand some who might want another candidate to  hold back, but it would not be right for others to kill other bloggers backing because someone else may get in the Race.

I doubt if Mark Warner will run in 09 or Jim Webb will run for Governor, so name another STATE WIDE known Democratic candidate??.

Come on Blogging world get behind a very good candidate.



Both Creigh and Brian Moran have done great things for the party statewide (Silence Dogood - 12/19/2007 5:40:36 PM)
And I'm glad to have them both on our bench.  But frankly I think it's a little ridiculous for some people to act like this is a new decision or a surprise development we haven't really had time to consider yet, as if we haven't known this was going to happen for the past couple of years.

Creigh Deeds has a steep road ahead of him to get the nomination, but he's my guy.  I have no doubt that either he or Brian Moran would be able to mount an effective campaign, so I'm not looking at the horse-race aspect.  There's simply a level of earnest sincerity about Creigh Deeds that I find utterly refreshing and which reminds me in a lot of ways about Tim Kaine.  I think he would represent me and the rest of this moderate, "purple" commonwealth well, but even on the issues I disagree with him on, I know from listening to him that he's be honest with me about what he thinks.  That sort of unvarnished honesty is important to me, and as a consequence I expect that I will be voting for Creigh Deeds.



Let's take a step back... (novademocrat - 12/19/2007 9:49:57 PM)
Yes, Creigh was a statewide candidate in 2005, so him having run once statewide is great for his name ID, sorta, but since he didn't win, people tend to forget about those people.

But, outside of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, NO Democrat in Virginia has done more for candidates since 2001 then Brian Moran.  He has helped to lead the resurgence of Democrats in the House of Delegates - going from 33/34 delegates (depending on how you classify Johnny J) to 44 today and most likely 45 come the special election in the 99th - in completely republican drawn districts.  Give Mark Warner credit for setting the tone, but Brian took the ball and ran with it.  He has done events for both House and Senate candidates in EVERY part of the state.  He helped raise and spend over $700k this year on races across the state.  He has laid the ground work for taking back the house in the next cycle or two.

And with your post, why are you talking about Mark Warner or Jim Webb running for Governor?  Jim Webb is having a field day being our Junior Senator right now and from what I understand has no interest in being Governor - and will soon be Senior Senator to Mark Warner, who isn't going to run for Senate in 2008 only to run for Governor in 2009, that just makes no sense at all.  

It's time to take a break on 09 for awhile, and lets just let the calendar flip to 2008 first, get through the budget, and Mark Warner's election and some great Congressional candidates and focus on 09 around this time next year.



I'm not for either Deeds or Moran as of yet... (Tom Joad (Kevin) - 12/19/2007 5:37:53 PM)
but I know one thing. I would like to stop receiving facebook requests to be friends with Creigh. I've had 3 that I can count in the last week. I'm sure he's a good guy and all but why should I sign up with him? Is this a facebook popularity contest?  


And I'd like to see a lot fewer front-page (Lowell - 12/19/2007 5:39:50 PM)
diaries on the 2009 governor's race until, oh, November 2008?


I think... (novademocrat - 12/19/2007 9:37:37 PM)
Full disclosure is necessary here James.  You need to say, you just aren't a blogger who supports Creigh, but also someone who is working for Creigh.  You redesigned his creighdeeds.com website (even though there is no financial record in his reports) and are also the biggest fan of his in the world (see James' license plate for evidence.)

I think you need to put in your signature that you are working for Creigh Deeds so that the average passerby knows exactly what is up with your completely biased posts.

I completely agree with Lowell that it is WAY to early to start the 09 horse race.  We've got a tough budget session coming up and our focus needs to be there first, then the 08 races, and then, after all is said and done, we can focus on 09.



I am just a blogger who supports Creigh... (James Martin - 12/19/2007 10:20:47 PM)
I don't work for him and I've never been offered or accepted payment for services provided to the campaign. Its called a volunteer.

If you want full disclosure- he sent me a copy of All the King's Men a couple years back... :)



Do you... (novademocrat - 12/20/2007 9:40:49 AM)
not deny you redesigned creighdeeds.com in 2007 and that it was not reported anywhere?  Because, as you pointed out, you took payment from candidates for  website design in 2007, with varying amounts of money, some in tough races, some others in not.  Why take money from them and not Creigh, or at least count it as an in-kind contribution?  Why not volunteer for everyone then?


James -- Please Answer This. (Matt H - 12/20/2007 11:12:41 AM)


Creigh at UVA forum today (Gordie - 12/20/2007 9:09:19 AM)
At the University?s annual legislative forum, legislators from the Central Virginia region will each take a few minutes to share their viewpoints about the issues facing the 2008 General Assembly, including those that impact the future of higher education, the health system, and other state and local community issues. Time will be reserved for questions and comments at the public forum. U.Va. President John T. Casteen III will host the forum, scheduled to occur after the governor has released his budget and before the legislators return to Richmond for the General Assembly in January.

https://etg07.itc.virginia.edu...