Romney Adds Final Muscle to VA Governor’s Race

With the race for VA governor between Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R) coming to a head next Tuesday, former Governor Mitt Romney caused a big stir when he whisked into Virginia yesterday. Swinging away at a full afternoon schedule, Romney added some final muscle to McDonnell’s campaign by appearing at a Virginia Beach press conference and fundraiser. Also attending were Lieutenant Governor hopeful Bill Bolling and Attorney General nominee Ken Cuccinelli. A rally at Roanoke Airport and a final press conference at Richmond Airport finished the day with a strong one-two punch for McDonnell.

Awaiting the arrival of Gov Romney for the Virginia Beach press conference, local reporter Kay Young states: “The message he (McDonnell) and Romney are expected to give this afternoon… is that through business incentives he’ll be a ‘jobs’ governor.”

Speaking in Virginia Beach, Romney told reporters, “Virginia matters. Virginia makes a difference to the whole country. The people of Virginia need to have a leadership team that knows how to create jobs. And, that starts with a conviction that the right way to create jobs and to attract new growth and employers to a state is by keeping taxes down, by keeping spending in control, having fiscal responsbility, by improving schools, and by investing in technology and innovation, infrastructure, highways, and energy.”

The two candidates in this race know each other well. Four years ago, out of two million votes cast, McDonnell beat Deeds by just 323 votes for the office of state Attorney General! An interesting side note is that in the last 30 years,whichever party has won the White House has gone on to lose Virginia’s governorship. As of yesterday, polls show McDonnell at 54% and Creigh Deeds (D) at 42%.

Although any election is never done until the last vote is counted, it looks like Creigh Deeds is on the ropes.