by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics

Virginia Democrats have one hell of a tough choice before them when they go to the polls today (Tuesday) to choose their nominee for the governor race against Bob McDonnell in the fall.

Having kept my own finger on the pulse of the race for quite some time now, and originally being interested when Terry McAuliffe announced he would join the race, I'm now certain of only one thing - that three great guys are running, with three different sets of priorities and three very different backgrounds. The best choice is a matter of opinion more than history.

Out surprisingly in front has recently surged Creigh Deeds, a member of the state senate from western Virginia who had been considered the underdog "nice guy". Deeds is widely considered the most conservative of the three Democrats, though the Washington Post endorsement in late May urges readers to take a deeper look into his record on the controversy over the so-called "gun show loophole". The paper's endorsement may well help him cut into McAuliffe and Moran's co-domination over the dearly coveted Northern Virginia hub of Democratic voters. It's also worth mentioning that Deeds has been extremely successful in reaching compromise and common ground to move bills out of committee where other legislators have failed. However, many of those bills have been DOA as soon as they reached a floor vote anyway.

Just behind (or previously even with) Deeds has slipped Terry McAuliffe, former DNC chair and campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton. McAuliffe's large rolodex and amazing campaign donations have made this late-entrant a formidable candidate, though many Virginians consider him a carpetbagger. The title may ultimately be unfair, because McAuliffe has lived in the state for 17 years and boasts that many of his business enterprises have been Virginia-based. Money aside, McAuliffe has faced the harshest criticism of all three opponents, primarily for the shortcomings of the Democratic Party under his chairmanship as well as the failure of the Clinton campaign. In the past month, Terry has not been bashful about barnstorming the state with high profile friends in tow such as former President Bill Clinton and arist Will.I.Am. A staple of the McAuliffe campaign has been his pledge not to take the campaign into the gutter against fellow Democrats, though it's worth noting that Senior Campaign Strategist Mo Elleithee sent out an email to McAuliffe supporters just this Sunday attacking the Deeds campaign for his record on gun control.

Having slipped from first to third in polling is Brian Moran, the powerhouse state delegate with second-most cash on hand. Moran has a long history of working hard for Virginians, voting to protect the environment and against new coal plants, and is widely known as a voice against so-called big business. He has been harshly critical of environmental damage allegedly caused by Smithfield Foods of Virginia which is speculated to have some link to the outbreak of swine flu in the U.S. Moran has fiercely criticized both McAuliffe and Deeds for their gray-area positioning on GLBT rights. Along with McAuliffe, Moran's power base is considered to be Northern Virginia, his home. He claims to have the record, while stating that the other two candidates are high on rhetoric.

Clearly the environment seems to be the key issue for Delegate Moran, closely followed by public safety. State Senator Deeds touts his credentials on the issues of jobs and transportation. McAuliffe has staked his claim on jobs and alternative energy.

Whomever claims the lead tomorrow will go up against Bob McDonnell, the Republican former Attorney General for the state who narrowly defeated Deeds four years ago for the position after outspending Deeds by a margin of 2 to 1.

McDonnell's victory would be considered the beginning of a GOP comeback, and the race is not being taken lightly by the RNC which has vowed to put broad and deep resources into the fight to take Virginia back. Likewise, the Democratic nominee will likely have the full support of the DNC under Tim Kaine, a fellow Virginian. Just as appalled by the presidential loss in 2008 as the Republicans are, the Democrats are equally excited by the opportunity to turn red-state Virginia into consistently winnable turf. Whether the Republican or the Democrat ultimately wins will be the context through which we enter the 2010 midterm elections. It is a big deal.

Virginia Democrats, I don't envy your choice. Think carefully before you pull the lever.

UPDATE:

As expected, Creigh Deeds won the primary today, but with an above expected 50% of the vote to McAuliffe's 26% and Moran's 24%. Though Moran and McAuliffe both considered NoVa their home turf, Deeds won almost every territory in the area after bitter in-fighting between the two locals. Moran will go on to face Bob McDonnell in the fall election.

By Nick Stone of the Drawnlines Blog

Charlie Crist has been the champion of the people of the state of Florida. He’s risen above party politics when necessary, promoted conservative ideals when possible, and stood for what’s right even when he’s stood alone.

Background: I didn’t vote for Charlie Crist for governor in 2006. As part of the Democratic movement then, I supported candidate Jim Davis with my vote and urged friends to follow suit. But as time wore on, I became enamored with a few Republicans for the way they governed, and one of those Republicans was indeed Charlie Crist.

While I strongly believe it’s a loss for our state to take Charlie out of the governor’s mansion, it is highly apparent how great a senator he’ll make. Simply put, he’s tough and he knows how to govern.

Don’t take my word for it! According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, Crist enjoys across the board thumbs up from Floridians. Voters gave him 68%, 68%, and 66% (Republicans, Independents, and Democrats respectively) approval ratings, and a surprisingly low number of both Republicans (25%) and Democrats (20%) gave him negative marks. Let me be clear. Those are HUGE ratings for a governor that inherited an economic slowdown, mounting bills, a housing crisis, and a massive revenue downturn.

Crist consistently enjoys such high approval ratings because he’s stood for Floridians from day one. After winning the election in 2006, Crist immediately moved forward to champion an across the board property tax cut for Floridians in the wake of escalating insurance premiums and skyrocketing property values. People were hurting and needed help to stay in their homes, and Charlie delivered by championing Amendment 1 to our state constitution.

As governor, Crist has had to prioritize in a way that no recent governor has. He has delicately balanced the state’s revenue shortfalls with the ever-growing needs of Florida’s citizens. He has consistently fought against raising our property and sales taxes, as well as avoiding a state income tax so prevalent in other states. He has found other ways to increase state revenues, including the Indian Gaming Compact (which was unfortunately struck down) and the recently approved cigarette tax. He has also been a champion for the state’s growing ethanol industry and agriculture at large, which is the backbone of our state’s exports.

On spending, Crist has advocated for more school spending and more infrastructure spending, two areas where Florida is severely lagging behind other states. In the classroom, Florida spends in the bottom quarter of states per pupil overall and second-worst in terms of dollars per student by citizen wealth. That’s appalling. Crist also fought against tuition increases at our public universities, which attract fresh young talent to our state while preventing mass exodus of our own high school graduates. The governor has also championed shovel-ready transportation projects including roadway enhancement, bridge construction, and rail transportation to connect our airports, seaports, and metropolitan areas.

For his style of governing, Charlie Crist has been the target of much criticism from his own party. Many claim that he is not conservative enough. The sharpest criticisms were lobbed at him for supporting the president’s stimulus bill, which conservatives including myself saw as pork-laiden waste of the people’s money which would ultimately yield more long-term damage than benefit.

There is no doubt however that the stimulus bill would have passed with our without the governor’s support. As our governor, it’s often one’s responsibility to rise above party politics to bring home the bacon for his people. By graciously supporting the president, Crist secured untold billions of dollars to plug the gap in our budget shortfalls. That means teachers got to keep their jobs, roads were built, tri-rail was kept on track, police stayed on the streets, and so forth. Like it or not, so-called stimulus money was being doled out. Let’s just be grateful that Florida got a big piece of the pie, thanks in part to the efforts of Governor Crist.

Let it be said that Crist has been the governor of all the people of Florida, not just conservatives. He knows how to prioritize and balance realities with goals. He has been the champion of the homeowner, the student, the worker, the farmer, and the consumer. He’s a tough voice for progress and accountability, and a compassionate advocate for the people of Florida. He’s got both the rhetoric and the resume, and he means what he says.

As governor, Crist would have won my vote for re-election hands down. Now, I’m proud to pledge my support for his next campaign. Washington severely lacks the caliber of leadership that Crist will bring with him. The people of this great state would do well for themselves to elect Charlie Crist as the next senator from the state of Florida. He’s earned our confidence, and he’ll make us proud.

Please join me to support Charlie Crist for Senate.

Let's face it. Gavin Newsome is ballsy, popular, and bold. His leadership as mayor has saved San Francisco's backside in many different ways. Plus... he's got to be hands down the sexiest mayor in the United States.

Did I mention he helped deliver a 10-point California victory for Hillary on Super Tuesday?

Those assets aside, however, the shoo-in Democratic candidate for governor may not end up moving to Sacramento after all. At least, he shouldn't pack his bags just yet.

Building steam on the Republican ticket is Meg Whitman, ex-CEO of Ebay. Whitman has already made the cover of Fortune and The Weekly Standard, and just might have the common-sense entrepreneurial spirit that can turn California around.

EMeg, as she is affectionately known by colleagues colloquially, took over Ebay in 1997 and steered the company right through the "tech bubble" collapse of 2001-2002. In fact, under her leadership, the company was the fastest growing ecommerce company in the world from 2002-2004.

After ten years at the helm of Ebay, Whitman began to focus on politics, first supporting longtime friend Mitt Romney, then John McCain. Now, Emeg has decided to get her feet wet and attempt to take the helm of the Golden State.

In truth, Californians would likely be well served by either candidate, but their two approaches and backgrounds are vastly different. We'll have to wait and see if voters gravitate toward the hottie or the resume... I have my suspicions.

This is one of those races to watch!

The Washington Post reports that the GOP sees a chance for a comeback in the opportunity to beat current NJ Governor Jon Corzine, who is unpopular but highly wealthy.

Best quote of the story: "Yes, Chris Christie is telling everybody he's a conservative. But on June 3rd, if he wins, he'll be telling everybody he's a moderate," said Mike Illions, a conservative blogger and Internet strategist who is backing Lonegan. "They keep saying conservatives can't win in New Jersey. How do we know? We've never had one."

The Republican Primary takes place June 2nd.

It's no surprise that Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced this week that he will seek to replace Mel Martinez in the US Senate in 2010, rather than seeking re-election as governor.

Frankly, who could blame him? He's at a peak of popularity with 2 out of 3 Floridians approving of the way he has done his job. He even has a plurality of Democrats behind him.

The LA Times wrote an article with some background on the situation which I found rather appropriate and unbiased. Check it out if this race might be of any interest to you.

So far the big contenders are Crist and Marco Rubio on the Republican side, and Kendrick Meek and Dan Gelber on the Democratic side. This could be a showdown of epic proportions.