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The Real Story About The Virginia Governor’s Race

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Democrats, Virginia

Would we really be talking so much about the Democratic primary if not for McAuliffe? And does anybody really think McAuliffe cares about being Governor of Virginia?

MSNBC doesn’t think so…

Here’s one way to look at today’s three-way Democratic gubernatorial in Virginia: It’s all about Terry McAuliffe, and he probably wouldn’t have it any other way. If McAuliffe wins, it would be due to his organization and laser-like focus on jobs and the economy. It would confirm that money and name ID do matter. And, of course, it would set up an entertaining and TV cable-friendly general election against Republican Bob McDonnell. But if McAuliffe loses — to surging Creigh Deeds or (less likely) Brian Moran — it would be due to concerns about his electability. It would confirm that the best-known and best-financed candidates don’t always win. It would provide evidence, as we wrote yesterday, that newspaper endorsements (like the Washington Postâ€™s nod to Deeds) can impact a race. And it would be another electoral loss for the Clintons and their friends, especially in Virginia (where Obama beat Hillary last year, 64%-35%).

And that last part is possibly the most important. We’ve shifted away from a Clinton-controlled party and that would be a good thing indeed.

Because while there’s no doubt that those folks knew how to win with the slash and burn tactics of Begala and Carville, if Dems want to continue to build on their successes they need to adopt the Plouffe and Axelrod way of doing things.

In short, flashiness and vitriol is (slowly, but surely) being replaced with substance and bridge building. And that’s good for everybody, not just Dems.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 and is filed under Democrats, Virginia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “The Real Story About The Virginia Governor’s Race”

Alistair Says:
June 9th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Great news Deeds wins! This in some ways is the end of the Clinton control Party.
Tim Castricone Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 7:53 am
The Clintons were very good at helping themselves at the expense of the party and nation. Now things are serious and need serious people and ideas.

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