Primary now a horse race

Sen. R. Creigh Deeds’ campaign to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary for governor has apparently surged to the front of the three-way race, according to multiple polls conducted in recent days.

A Suffolk University poll found Thursday that Deeds has a slight lead among likely Democratic voters over his two opponents, though the results were within the poll’s margin of error. Several other polls suggest that voters are increasingly viewing Deeds with the highest level of favorability and the lowest level of negativity.

“Not to say that he’s going to win — because no one really knows — but, of the three candidates, Deeds is the only one with momentum heading into the primary,” said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

In addition to the poll results, Deeds, who represents much of the Charlottesville region in the Virginia Senate, won the surprise endorsement of the Washington Post.

Heading into the final stretch of the primary race, Sabato said, any of the three Democrats — Deeds, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe and former House of Del-egates member Brian Moran — could win their party’s nod to face GOP nominee Bob McDonnell in the Nov. 3 general election.

McAuliffe, a McLean resident and businessman, has been the Democratic race’s clear frontrunner when it comes to fundraising, collecting roughly $6.9 million in campaign contributions as of May 27, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Moran raised $3.8 million, while Deeds trailed with $2.8 million, according to VPAP, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog.

While Deeds may have the momentum, Sabato said, McAuliffe enjoys just about every other advantage. He has more money, more staff, more campaign offices and many high-profile endorsements. On Friday, for example, McAuliffe stumped in Charlottesville with Brian Schweitzer, the governor of Montana and chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

“All of these things can help win elections,” Sabato said. “But primaries are squirrelly. You just never know who is going to turn out.”

Moran’s ‘progressive plan’

In the final days of their campaigns, the three Democrats offered their closing arguments across Virginia.

On a “Fighting for Virginia” tour of the state, Moran, an Alexandria lawyer and former prosecutor, sought to emphasize his policy positions that differentiate his candidacy from his rivals’.

At a recent stop at his Charlottesville campaign office on the Downtown Mall, Moran said that he is the only candidate who has made it a priority to overturn the so-called Marshall-Newman Amendment, which amended Virginia’s constitutions to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Voters ratified the measure in a 2006 referendum, with 56 percent voting in favor.

“I’m the only candidate to say ‘I will not rest until we repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment,’” Moran said. “A governor always has time to fight for equality. To allow discriminatory language in our constitution is unacceptable.”

Moran pointed out that Deeds supported the measure in the General Assembly in 2005 and 2006. But Deeds, as well as both Moran and McAuliffe, voted against the ballot initiative, saying that it went far beyond simply banning same-sex marriage.

As part of his final push, Moran is also drawing attention to his stance against construction of a coal-fired power plant in Surry County and drilling for oil off Virginia’s coastline. In addition, Moran is emphasizing his economic- development plan, which he says would expand healthcare coverage to every child in the state, increase the minimum wage and create a refundable income-tax credit.

“I not only have a 20-year record of fighting in the legislature, I have a bold progressive plan for Virginia,” he said.

Moran is scheduled to visit Charlottesville today to highlight his positions on the environment and equality. He will meet with voters at 6 p.m. at his office over Quilts Unlimited on the Downtown Mall.

McAuliffe talks job creation

McAuliffe, meanwhile, says he is spending the final days before the primary drawing attention to his “big, bold ideas” to improve the economy and find ways to boost renewable energy research, development and use.

If elected, McAuliffe said, he would boost the state’s economic development efforts by attracting major companies, which would generate additional tax revenue and reduce the need to continue slashing Virginia’s budget.

“Terry McAuliffe will be the job creator-in-chief,” he said in an interview.

He is also focusing on his promise to implement a mandatory renewable energy standard, which would require Virginia to purchase 25 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2025. Such a move, he says, would be good for the environment while simultaneously boosting the clean-energy industry and creating “green jobs” in Virginia.

“We have a real opportunity to move Virginia in a new direction,” McAuliffe said.

Throughout the campaign, he said, he has stayed positive and emphasized his experience as a businessman and as someone from outside the Richmond political sphere who is more interested in results than in partisanship.

“People are tired of all the partisan bickering in Richmond,” he said. “They’re looking for someone positive.”

McAuliffe feels optimistic about his chances in Tuesday’s primary, he said, as his campaign has 14 field offices and a massive get-out-the-vote operation that he expects will deliver him a victory.

“You can feel the excitement,” he said. “People think about Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. They say, ‘We want to keep on that trajectory.’”

Deeds picks up steam

Until the last week or so, Deeds was widely seen as a longshot. Over the past week, he won the top spot in three out of five independent statewide polls of likely primary voters.

“What the polls show consistently is that the other guys are stagnant. They haven’t moved in the last couple weeks,” Deeds said. “My stock is rising.”

Helping Deeds in vote-rich Northern Virginia, apparently, are two Washington Post editorials backing his candidacy, as well the recent endorsement of popular former U.S. congresswoman Leslie Byrne.

“A lot of Democrats who had not considered me because I’m not from Northern Virginia or who considered me to be not liberal enough — they’re now giving me a second look,” Deeds said.

In its phone calls to potential voters, Deeds’ campaign has been emphasizing the Post’s endorsement, which praised his emphasis on fixing the state’s transportation woes and his longstanding goal of implementing nonpartisan political redistricting.

Like his opponents, Deeds is highlighting his plans to boost economic development and expand clean energy in Virginia. He is also focusing on education, with one recent mail piece from his campaign touting his plan to make higher education more affordable.

Some have questioned if Deeds is sufficiently left leaning to win a Democratic primary. He dismisses such concerns.

“The majority of people are with me in the middle,” he said. “It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. It’s not about the left or the right. It’s about moving Virginia forward.”

Deeds says he is confident his campaign will prove successful on Tuesday, though he admits it will be close.

“It’s hand-to-hand combat from here on out,” he said.

Deeds is also scheduled to visit Charlottesville today. Deeds will attend this morning’s City Market alongside former Charlottesville Mayor David Brown.