Where to begin. I think I take McAullife more seriously than others might because of the amount of money he can bring into the race, his bumbling-over exuberance can come off as silly but can also infectious. He knows politics inside and out.
But does he know Virginia?
Many an outsider gets fooled by the Old Dominion's genteel veneer, and while McAuliffe may sport scars and bruised from party battles on a national level, nothing is as searing as an intra-party state battle where everything and everyone is more intimate. We aren't Texas or Rhode Island or Illinois, but in our own way Virginia politics can be nasty based on regional rivalries and it takes a deft politician to surf the waters of regions so diverse as Northern VA, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Southside, and Southwest. Each is different with its own identity, politics, people, and concerns. Being able to sew all of that together is a very difficult task that only Mark Warner has really done.
The two candidates best prepared for this challenge are Bob McDonnell and Brian Moran. Both have weaknesses-McDonnell with the anti-taxers and Moran with the more rural Southside voters-but both have deep experience all over the state. McDonnell is appealing, a soothing Republican presence to many of the Northern Virginia voters who have grown to distrust the GOP while his home base in Hampton Roads make him a strong candidate. With Bolling with him in his power base in Richmond he will be very good. Moran has spent years working the state up and down at a grassroots level raising money, recruiting candidates, and spreading the Warner Gospel. Guys like McDonnell, Moran, Bolling, Deeds, and Cuccinelli have spent years learning where things are and where they end up. McAuliffe better not think he can come in and buy this nomination.
I've always maintained that I think Moran was the stronger candidate based on his political ability but you can't help but think McAuliffe helps Deeds. Deeds will run strong in the rural areas, and Moran and McAuliffe will likely split the NOVA-Hampton vote. I think that he does nothing but mess things up for Brian Moran.
Comments