Deeds focuses on Mark Warner ties in race for governor

FAIRFAX — Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds sought Friday to link his campaign for governor to Virginia’s most popular politician, promising to govern in the mold of Sen. Mark Warner and seek bipartisan solutions for transportation and economic development.

In a speech Friday dubbed by his campaign as a “defining moment,” Deeds told nearly 200 supporters at George Mason University that his record as a legislator is proof that he will seek practical solutions to the biggest problems confronting the state.

While seeking to wrap himself in Warner’s legacy, Deeds portrayed his GOP opponent, Bob McDonnell, as an acolyte of George W. Bush who has credited Bush administration policies with creating an “economic revival.”

Deeds contrasted the two candidates’ long records in the General Assembly. While Deeds supported Warner’s 2004 budget reforms as governor, which balanced the budget but also imposed $1.4 billion in new taxes, McDonnell opposed the 2004 budget deal.

McDonnell’s campaign accused Deeds of rehashing old, tired grievances.

“That was the most backwards looking speech ever given by a Virginia gubernatorial nominee,” McDonnell’s spokesman, J. Tucker Martin, said in a statement.

Deeds, though, insists that voters have to look back at the candidates’ records to determine what kind of governor they would be. Deeds argues that McDonnell’s emphasis now on bread-and-butter economic issues is a ruse designed to appeal to moderates who otherwise would be put off by his social conservatism.

“It’s easy to tell people in an election year what kind of governor you’ll be,” Deeds told reporters after the speech. “I think a better indication ... is what their record is.”

Deeds also unveiled a new campaign ad featuring Warner that will air in markets outside of Washington, D.C. Nowhere to be seen is Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, whose popularity has slipped as he has taken on the more partisan role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Warner, whose popularity remains high, was mentioned numerous times in Deeds’ speech. Kaine was mentioned just once.

Deeds has been trailing McDonnell in several polls. Even though Friday’s speech was heavily hyped by the Deeds campaign, it included no new initiatives. Deeds himself said after the speech, “I didn’t really say anything that I haven’t been saying for a long time.”

It did represent a pivot, though, from recent weeks where the Deeds sought to draw a contrast on the abortion issue; Deeds is pro-choice and McDonnell is anti-abortion.

In Friday’s speech, Deeds said he’ll support tax credits for any business that creates even one new job, an approach that contrasts with McDonnell’s plan to give tax credits for the creation of 50 or more jobs, 25 in areas that are economically distressed.

Deeds said he supports an additional $40 million a year in college financial aid. On transportation, he said he’ll support any approach that can garner bipartisan support in the legislature, unless the plan steals education dollars from the general fund. Deeds says McDonnell’s transportation plan will do just that.

Martin said northern Virginians should be galled that Deeds offered a major speech in the traffic-choked region and still refused to submit his own specific plan for fixing the state’s transportation woes. McDonnell’s campaign argues that Deeds’ statements on transportation amount to a tacit admission that he plans to raise the gasoline tax.

“Voters sitting in traffic in northern Virginia heard yet again that Creigh has no transportation plan at all,” Martin said.