In final debate, Deeds and McDonnell discuss health care

SALEM—Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell said last night that Virginia should not participate in a federal health-care program that contains a “public option.“

Democrat R. Creigh Deeds said he has reservations about such an approach but would consider it because it might save money for the state.

In the final debate in the campaign for governor, two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, the two rivals broke little new ground and generally stuck to the themes that have dominated their campaigns.

The debate came amid a flurry of political polls showing McDonnell with a clear lead.

Congress is considering several health-care proposals, some that would include a public option meant to allow the government to compete with private insurers and push down costs.

Some Senate Democrats reportedly are considering a proposal that would include a public option but would give states the right to opt out, which means the next governor might have to act.

During the debate, Deeds said a public option is not a priority and that he would consider opting out if that were a state alternative.

But after the debate, he said he is not ruling out a public option and said Virginia must consider alternatives to reduce costs and increase coverage.

“I think you have to leave all your options on the table,“ he told reporters. “I’m not convinced the public option is the only way we can reduce costs. It may be one way. It might not be the best way.“

The debate—the last of four—was held before an invitation-only crowd of about 400 people on the campus of Roanoke College.

In his closing remarks, the state senator from Bath County said: “I’ll make Virginia the best place for jobs, the best state for education, and the best state for you.“

McDonnell, a former state attorney general, said he would promote jobs by fighting against tax increases and more government regulation.

Both men said they would promote efficiencies, but neither would name a program he would eliminate.

Deeds said McDonnell, as a member of the House of Delegates, did not introduce a single bill to create jobs. He said McDonnell, a social conservative who in 1989 wrote a graduate-school thesis suggesting that working women are detrimental to the family, has been more interested in promoting a social agenda.

Deeds said his campaign has emphasized the thesis because it shows McDonnell’s priorities.

McDonnell said “values matter” but that he would not push a social agenda. McDonnell said he would promote adoptions and work to keep families involved in raising children. But he said he would not seek to overturn Roe v. Wade.

As for creating jobs, McDonnell said he sponsored legislation to end the estate tax. He said the savings indirectly could lead to more jobs. Deeds voted against ending the estate tax, McDonnell noted.

The candidates also clashed over transportation, an issue both agreed is the most important facing the state. As in past debates, McDonnell held up a blank sheet of paper to signify his belief that Deeds has no plan.

Deeds has said that he is willing to sign off on a tax increase for transportation as long as it arises from a bipartisan consensus.

McDonnell opposes new taxes. His 12-point plan includes privatizing Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control stores, creating public-private partnerships and issuing bonds.

Deeds said all of McDonnell’s proposals have been rejected in the past. So has raising taxes, McDonnell said.

Deeds said he would not support federal “cap-and-trade” legislation meant to fight global warming by cutting carbon emissions. In TV commercials, McDonnell has accused Deeds of backing the legislation.

Asked about the governors they would most like to emulate, Deeds named Democrats Gerald L. Baliles, L. Douglas Wilder, Mark R. Warner and Timothy M. Kaine. McDonnell named Wilder and Republican George Allen.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or .