Down in polls, Deeds makes stop in city

Democratic nominee for governor Sen. R. Creigh Deeds swung through Charlottesville on Wednesday to chat with small business owners and energize his core supporters before Tuesday’s election.

“The people who show up on Nov. 3 are the ones who will decide this race,” Deeds told a small but enthusiastic gathering of supporters in a Downtown Mall campaign office. “Turnout will be key, not the polls. This is about the future of the commonwealth of Virginia.”

Deeds acknowledged that just about every poll shows his campaign trailing that of Republican nominee Bob McDonnell by double digits. Deeds noted, however, that many polls indicated he was down by more than 20 points in last June’s three-way Democratic primary that he ended up winning by a surprisingly decisive margin.

“I stopped reading [polls] a long time ago,” he said.

Deeds’ visit to Charlottesville came a day after a major campaign rally with President Barack Obama in Norfolk. Monica Dixon, one of Deeds’ senior strategists,

said the campaign signed up some 2,000 new volunteers at the rally who will be focusing on getting out the vote Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled by what we’re seeing,” she said. “There’s a lot of energy.”

McDonnell, meanwhile, spent Wednesday crisscrossing the state with former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Romney also appeared in the Charlottesville area at a fundraiser for Republican Bill Bolling, who is running for re-election as lieutenant governor against Democrat Jody Wagner. The fundraiser was held at the Albemarle County home of Phil Wendel, the founder of ACAC and a major Republican campaign contributor.

McDonnell will launch a statewide “New Jobs, New Opportunities” tour today in Glen Allen. The tour is scheduled to stop at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport for a campaign rally at noon Monday.

McDonnell’s campaign manager, Phil Cox, sent out an e-mail Wednesday urging supporters not to assume McDonnell’s victory is a sealed deal.

“We have strong momentum, but our opponents are pulling out all the stops, and it has been a long time since Republicans have won in Virginia, which remains a very evenly divided ‘purple’ state,” he wrote. “But your vote can make the difference. Remember that Bob won his race for attorney general by just 360 votes! Every single vote counts.”

Deeds — who has represented the Charlottesville area in the state Senate since 2002 — was similarly focused Wednesday on turning out the vote.

In the Democratic headquarters on the Downtown Mall, a couple dozen volunteers spent Wednesday morning calling voters to remind them to vote Tuesday.

As Deeds made a few phone calls himself, Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, opined that the Democrats have a shot if they can motivate the base to turn out.

“It’s all a question of turnout,” he said. “We get the turnout up, we’ve got a chance of winning. We’ve got to.”

While on the Downtown Mall, Deeds dropped by several shops to talk about his ideas to help small businesses, most notably a proposal that would offer a tax credit for every job created. He also talked about hunting grouse with a proprietor of the Young Men’s Shop. And he chatted a bit about baseball with Carol Lemons, an employee of New Dominion Book Shop.

“We’re from Nelson County so you’re our senator,” Lemons said.

“Well, I’m going to be your governor,” Deeds replied. “It’s all about next Tuesday.”