Congratulations to Joe Abbey - who did great work for Chap Petersen and Mark Warner - on being named Creigh Deeds' campaign manager. An excellent choice by Creigh, no doubt about it.
Dear Friends:A very special thank you to everyone who signed up online yesterday to join our army of volunteers! If you haven't already done so, please click here right now to be a part of our petition drive.
For the first time in more than two decades Virginia Democrats have a contested nomination for Governor. It's exciting for our Party and I'm proud to join the two other candidates in an open and honest discussion about how we keep Virginia moving forward and build on the historic victories of Barack Obama, Mark Warner, Jim Webb and Tim Kaine.
In June we'll have a statewide primary that's open to every registered voter in the Commonwealth. I've put together the best team in Virginia politics to identify likely voters, spread my vision for creating opportunity in every corner of the state, and get out the vote on Election Day. As our campaign moves forward, they will be a key part of implementing my statewide strategy to compete in every city and county in Virginia.
Joe Abbey will serve as campaign manager, running the day-to-day activities of my headquarters and field offices. He comes to me from Mark Warner's campaign for U.S. Senate where, as deputy campaign manager, he led Mark to victory in every congressional district in the state. Joe has managed campaigns in Virginia--for Chap Petersen and Toddy Puller--and across the country.
Dave Petts and his partner Jill Normington are crunching the numbers for me. Jill just finished leading Congressman-elect Glen Nye's campaign to victory in Hampton Roads and Dave did the work for Governors-elect Jack Markell in Deleware and Jay Nixon in Missouri. They have extensive experience in Virginia, working with Barack Obama, Governor Doug Wilder and the late Senator Emily Couric. Dave has done my polling for almost my entire career in public service.The man behind the message and the media will be my old friend David Dixon. David and his partner Rich Davis were recently named rising stars in the very competitive world of Democratic media consultants. Dixon/Davis Media Group were part of Barack Obama's media team where they were strategists in Virginia this year. DDMG has also racked up impressive victories with Governors Martin O'Malley in Maryland and Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas and just recently elected State Senator Kay Hagan to the U.S. Senate from North Carolina.
Kevin Mack, a longtime veteran of Virginia politics and governing, will be serving as a strategist and his firm will handle my literature and mail program. His firm also did Obama's campaign in Virginia this year, worked with my friend Congressman-elect Tom Perriello and elected Bev Perdue the next Governor of North Carolina. Kevin and his team have been a part of every statewide Democratic victory in recent years.
But, you know what? This campaign isn't about them and it isn't about me. It's about you, your family, and the real challenges we're going to face together in the coming years.
How do we lead Virginia through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression? How can we make Virginia the center for alternative and renewable energy--along with green jobs and investments--while preparing our workforce for the jobs of the 21st century? How do we build a statewide system of transportation that allows our Commonwealth and our economy to grow?
That will be my focus as your next Governor and I'm proud to have such a talented team working with me during our campaign. With your help, we'll answers those questions and keep Virginia the best place in the nation to call home.
Best wishes from me and my family to yours for a safe and wonderful holiday.
Very Truly Yours,
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Senator Deeds