Virginia’s Bellwether Election Indicates Storm For Dems

Virginia holds her top state-level elections the year following national presidential elections which lends it become a flag in the wind for first indications on how parties are faring. Democrats have held the role of Governor for the past eight years and even picked up the state’s electoral votes for the first time in 40+ years.

Given those disappointing trends, one might expect Dems to have no problem holding on to Virginia for another four years. So far it doesn’t look that way, according to the latest polling:

Republican Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell has a three-to-nine point lead against three hopefuls for the Democratic nomination in this year’s closely-watched Virginia gubernatorial contest.

McDonnell, who announced this week that he will step down from his post on February 20 to campaign full-time for governor, bested only one of the three Democrats in early December.

Now, the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows the lone Republican gubernatorial candidate topping his best-known opponent, Terry McAuliffe, by seven points, 42% to 35%. In December, he held a five-point edge over McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton confidant, major Democratic fund-raiser and former national party chairman.

McDonnell is even further ahead of Rep. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County – 39% to 30%. The two men were tied two months ago.

Brian J. Moran, a former state delegate from Alexandria, led McDonnell by four points in the earlier survey but now trails by three, 39% to 36%.

You might remember Terry McAuliffe as the man who helped Bill Clinton whore out the White House. Can McAuliffe’s deep pockets push him into the lead? We’ve already seen what money over ideas can do in an election, but if Americans continue to drop support for both the spending bill and Obama then we may get the 2010 preview in Virginia I’m hoping to see.

Source: Examiner & Rasmussen

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