Friday, November 04, 2005

Horse Race 2005: The Final Stretch

Here at the Junkheap, I’ve always considered local and state politics to be just as important and, in fact, crucial, as politics at the federal level, because so many of the decisions and laws made at the state level have a much more immediate impact on the day-to-day lives of citizens. As a tip of the hat to civic duty, I will be going off-format for the next five days to dedicate myself to covering the candidates and issues germane to the 2005 Virginia Elections. My apologies to out-of-state readers; I will return to format next Wednesday.

First up, let’s take a look at where the polls have the candidates ranked at the moment. PRNewswire is reporting that Tim Kaine is up by 8 points in the latest poll:

SALEM, Va., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Democratic gubernatorial nominee Tim Kaine has opened an eight-point lead (44%-36%) over Republican nominee Jerry Kilgore according to a poll conducted by The Center for Community Research at Roanoke College. Independent candidate Russ Potts garnered the support of five percent of those surveyed. The Poll also found that the Lieutenant Governor's race is a virtual dead heat with Leslie Byrne (D) holding a statistically insignificant one-point lead over Bill Bolling (R) (33%-32%), while Robert McDonnell (R) enjoyed a five-point lead (39%-34%) over Creigh Deeds (D) in the race for Attorney General.

The Poll includes interviews conducted with 408 likely voters (registered voters who said they were likely to vote) in the Old Dominion between October 23 and October 30. The Poll has a margin of error of + 5 percent.


Meanwhile, Kaine is racking up the endorsements of newspapers across Virginia. Currently endorsing him are the Virginian Pilot, the Roanoke Times, the Suffolk News Herald, the Bristol Herald Courier, and the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Typically, my hometown paper, the Daily News Record, has endorsed Kilgore. For anyone who’s ever wondered about the nature of my hometown, I’d like to share a letter to the editor endorsing Mr. Kilgore:

Liberal Hypocrites
“As a citizen who moved to Winchester from Massachusetts less than a year ago, I know a liberal when I see one. In the race for governor, there are two: Russell Potts and Tim Kaine. Despite telling the people of this district that he’d be a pro-life state senator, Russell Potts is so desperate for attention that he’s sought and received the endorsement of a pro-abortion political action committee. He has repeatedly knifed pro-family folks in back. Tim Kaine is even worse! He calls himself a Catholic; however, Kaine opposed a common sense ban on partial birth abortion, a 24-hour waiting period for women considering this traumatic decision, and even was against parental consent for children who seek abortions. When he ran less than four years ago, he trumpeted his support for abortion on demand. Now that he wants to be governor, he’s trying to trick Virginians into thinking he’s pro-life. But would someone who is really pro-life call efforts to protect innocent human life “moral tyranny,” as Tim Kaine did? And on taxes, crime, and transportation, he’s not any better. I know first hand what its like to be represented by a liberal. If you wouldn’t vote for Ted Kennedy, why would you ever vote for Tim Kaine or Potts? Moderates and conservatives who are looking for steady leadership, low taxes, and respect for family values should vote for Jerry Kilgore, Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell. They are the only candidates who can be trusted.
LaurieLetourneau
Winchester VA


Good stuff, good stuff. I’ll have more later on what the candidates stand for.

Posted by crimnos @ 8:24 AM

Read or Post a Comment

"Liberal Hypocrites" was the tag on the Scarborough Show (MSNBC) last night. They were discussing this new book called "Do As I Say, Not As I Do," which is another pundit book probably chock full of lies...

have you heard about this yet.

Posted by Blogger Jes @ 9:36 AM #
 

Wow. Being in Texas, alot of the local elections are pretty preordained at this point. (Texas was one of the most solid blue states til Reagan) We have a few ballot measures, like the gay marriage ban which looks like it might go down.

So its really interesting, and heartening, to hear some news from the civilized world.

The one bright spot is that it looks like Bill White, Houston mayor will be easily reelected. Local officials are not allowed party affiliation, but he is clearly blue.

Mike

Posted by Blogger mikevotes @ 11:44 AM #
 

Jessica: had not heard about that book yet! I bet that one's going to be fun.

Mike: Yeah, Virginia is a funny state. It's always going to be a battleground, because it's essentially two states in one: Northern Virginia (a mostly liberal bastion, and my home area) and the rest of the state (where my hometown resides). This is also a big test ground for new ideas on running progressive candidates, so this is a race to watch closely for hints on what the Democrats might be planning nationally.

Posted by Blogger crimnos @ 12:10 PM #
 

This has been an incredibly interesting race to watch. You are very right, crimnos, about the effect this will have on nationwide Democratic candidates. I'm looking forward to the results with a great deal of hope.

Posted by Blogger Habituelle @ 4:50 PM #
 
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