Archive: Misc.
The Richmond Report
Here it is. What you've all been waiting for. The new Richmond blog from the Washington Post. It's called the Richmond Report, and you can find it here. Feel free to keep Race to Richmond bookmarked so you can relive all those wonderful moments in Campaign 2005. But please direct your attention to the new blog for all the fun, lively commentary you've come to expect here. Thanks. Mike Shear...
By Michael Shear | November 17, 2005; 10:25 PM ET | Comments (2)
Stay Tuned...
Thanks to all the loyal readers of this blog. (Both of you). It's been a blast. But don't change this channel. We'll be launching another Richmond politics blog soon. Come back here for the link. Mike Shear & Chris Jenkins...
By Michael Shear | November 15, 2005; 04:20 PM ET | Comments (5)
Report From Loudoun County
Reporter Rosalind S. Helderman files a new report: More voices from Seldens Landing Elementary School, precinct 813 in Loudoun, where voters continued to stream in all afternoon. Representatives from both Del. Richard H. Black (R)'s campaign and his opponent David Poisson (D) were on hand through the afternoon handing out sample ballots for their parties and chatting amiably with each other. Jorge Sanchez, 42, and his wife, Marleny Palacios, 38, said they used to vote pretty reliably Republican -- until this year. That's because Kilgore's strong stance on illegal immigration bothered them the couple, each of whom immigrated to the United States from El Salvador more than 20 years ago. "The way I see it, the Republicans were more business orientated and were more interested in the economy," Sanchez said. "But now they're trying to confuse people. They tried to use scare tactics. We have bigger problems than immigration. Right now,...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 04:25 PM ET | Comments (39)
Report From Herndon
From reporter Nikita Stewart, in Herndon: At Herndon Elementary School at about 11:45 a.m., there was a steady stream of voters of all races and from diverse backgrounds. Taxes, immigration and negative campaigning shaped the voters' decisions in the community rocked recently by the town council's decision to fund a center for day laborers to ease loitering at a busy intersection. Voting generally went along party lines. Rosa Flores, 62, said she voted for Kaine because she is an immigrant. Although she moved to the United States from Peru 22 years ago, she said Kilgore's stance on immigrants and the center would hurt Hispanic immigrants' ability to work and thrive. "I want more opportunities for my immigrant people," said Flores, who works on a hotel service staff. "Maybe government can help them find jobs." On the other side, Graham and Renee Inge took the day off and brought along their 8-year-old...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 04:18 PM ET | Email a Comment
Report from Alexandria
From reporter Michael Alison Chandler in Alexandria: At Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in a leafy Alexandria neighborhood, volunteers decorated in stickers staffed card tables piled high with fliers and tipped over Dunkin Donuts coffee cups. Democratic precinct captain Dick Hobson reviewed the results from past elections. Mark Warner won by 62 percent four years ago and John Kerry won 63 percent last fall, he said. The Democrats are hoping to increase the margin of victory for Kaine today. "I'm an independent voter. That's important to me," said Elena Velasco, 34, an actor and director and mother of 5, including two young daughters hanging on hand. She said she and her son researched the candidates together as he was working on a homework assignment for his 8th grade civics class. "I was really appalled and disheartened to hear Kilgore's views on illegal immigration," she said, in particular his opposition to building a...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 03:56 PM ET | Email a Comment
From Northern Virginia's 37th House District
From reporter Leef Smith in the 37th House District, a swath of Northern Virginia that includes Fairfax City: At 2 p.m., it seemed like there were more campaign volunteers than voters at Woodson High School in Fairfax County. Several voters exiting the polls said it was the annoying but persistent leaflet and advertising campaigns that got them out to cast their ballots. One man, a 47-year-old naturalized citizen who has been living in the United States since his family moved from Iran 31 years ago, said he is unhappy with Kaine's stand supporting benefits for illegal immigrants and came out to vote for Kilgore. He criticized Kaine's position, which he said advocates the use of public dollars to help immigrants, effectively helping big corporations by giving them cheap labor. "We're getting ripped off as taxpayers," said the man, who spoke only on condition of anonymity. "We had to go through a...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 03:50 PM ET | Comments (1)
Kilgore Votes
Post reporter Michelle Boorstein went to the polling place in Glen Allen where Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore voted this morning. Here's her report: All the way until Election Day, until he cast his vote in a little elementary school gym, Jerry Kilgore was still trying to clarify one message above all others: I am very, very different from Tim Kaine. "We are the two most different candidates to ever run," for governor in Virginia, he said, repeating words he uses regularly. Kaine, he said, is "an instinctive liberal."...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 03:41 PM ET | Comments (4)
A Report From Voters in Loudoun
Post reporter Rosalind S. Helderman spent the morning at a polling place in Loudoun County. Here's a report from her: Voters who live in fast-growing Loudoun County's Precinct 813 arrived steadily through the morning at their polling place in the Seldens Landing Elementary School, in the Lansdowne on the Potomac development. They were greeted by both Republican and Democratic party volunteers who stood ready to hand out sample ballots. As they emerged from the polling place, they were also met by representatives of the slow-growth group Campaign for Loudoun's Future, who stood next to a large map showing approved developments in the county and asking each voter, "Are you interested in growth issues in Loudoun?" before taking names and e-mail addresses. Voters could also take bumper stickers with the message: "Don't supersize Loudoun." Inside the school, Republican volunteer Jocelyn Tchakounte, 50, sat quietly with a massive listing of the area's...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 03:36 PM ET | Email a Comment
A Report from Voters in Chantilly
Post reporter Michael Alison Chandler visited another polling place in Fairfax County. This is her report: Voters streaming into Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly were greeted by family members of their House of Delegates candidates in the 67th District this morning. "I hope you'll vote for my dad, Chuck Caputo" said Chris Caputo, who flew in from Seattle to help in the last hours of the Democratic campaign. Across the way, Republican candidate Chris S. Craddock's father-in-law, Bill Jeschke, offered pink sample ballots to anyone who walked by. "It was my first time voting. I got my citizenship last year," said Richard Torrente, 37, who was born in Vietnam and spent his childhood in the Philippines. On his first ballot, he opted for Craddock for the House of Delegates and Republcan Jerry Kilgore for governor, the candidates who most closely align with his conservative views and religious beliefs as...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 03:33 PM ET | Comments (4)
A Report from Voters in West Springfield
Here's a dispatch from Post reporter Leef Smith, who visited a polling place in Fairfax County this morning: At 9: 15 a.m. voters were slowly but steadily trickling in to vote at Cardinal Forest Elementary School in West Springfield. Connie Greathouse, 60, an elementary school teacher in Prince William County, paused outside the polling station to report she rewarded each of the Democrats on her ballot with a vote. While Greathouse said she's always considered herself an independent, this time was different. "There are things going on in the White House I don't agree with," Greathouse said. "The war. The secrecy. The prisons. The hurricanes. The whole business is a big debacle ... The events of the day have been a little too much for comfort lately." A half dozen volunteers working for Gregory A. Werkheiser, a business lawyer and moderate Democrat in his bid to unseat longtime incumbent Republican...
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 02:35 PM ET | Comments (6)
Reports From the Field
Post reporters have been visiting polling places today, talking to voters. It's not an exit poll, but as you while away the hours until the polls close at 7 p.m., you might enjoy a sampling of opinions from Virginians who took the time to vote today in the statewide elections. We're presenting them in the form of dispatches from the various reporters....
By Robert Thomson | November 8, 2005; 02:25 PM ET | Email a Comment
Scenes from the Campaign Trail
Post reporters are out with the candidates today, following them as they make their final treks through the state. Here are a few dispatches. More to come later. From Robert Barnes, traveling with Gov. Mark R. Warner: Barnes reports that Warner made an unscheduled stop in Winchester today -- to the home of independent candidate H. Russell Potts. As Warner's car drove through the town, someone mentioned they were passing Potts' house. Warner made them stop, and he bounded up to the house. Potts had just left for a round of campaigning, Barnes reports, but Potts' wife invited the governor in for a brief -- but private -- chat. Barnes reports that Warner is optomistic, but nervous, about Tim Kaine's chances in Tuesday's elections as he prepared for another full day of rallies with Kaine on Monday. From Roz Helderman, traveling with Kilgore: Kilgore spent the morning in churches in Northern...
By Michael Shear | November 6, 2005; 03:59 PM ET | Comments (2)
Potts Files Suit
Independent Russ Potts made his final play to get into Sunday's governor's debate between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore -- or stop it if he can't. In a lawsuit his aides said was being filed in federal court in Charlottesville today, Potts seeks an injunction to stop the debate, alleging that his First Amendment rights would be violated if the exchange goes forward. Click here to read a copy of the lawsuit. In it, Potts argues that he is a serious candidate because he collected 24,000 signatures to get on the ballot and because of the campaigning he has done since then. He argues that University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato, the moderator of the debate, and Sabato's Center for Politics, the sponsor, are arbitrarily keeping him out. "Exclusion of Russ Potts from the October 9 debate would cause him ... substantial and irreparable harm," the suit states, according...
By Michael Shear | October 6, 2005; 12:16 PM ET | Comments (13)
The (Real) Orkin Man
You all remember about the rats in the statehouse, right? If not, here's the post. Well, it seems that wasn't the first time Virginia's political leaders have smelled a rat. According to documents from the Virginia archive, Gov. H.C. Stuart complained of rats in the Capitol back in November 1917. The letter was addressed to the Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings. "Dear sir," the letter from Stuart begins, "Referring to the enclosed letters, you may consummate a contract with Mr. Otto Orkin, American National Bank Building, to keep the Capitol, Library Building and Davis Building free of rats for the sum of $240 per year, payable quarterly, payment being contingent upon appropriation for this purpose by the General Assembly at its coming session." Wow. The most interesting part of the letter -- aside from the historic rat problem -- could be that there really is an Orkin Man, just like the...
By Michael Shear | August 24, 2005; 12:19 PM ET | Comments (1)
Mr. Minister, Please
Attention, lovers: Those of you who want to get married, but don't want a priest or rabbi or judge or minister, or other clergy, we have the solution. For $39.95, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), in his final days in office, will perform the ceremony. Okay, the governor is not really renting himself out to the faithful. But he is performing a wedding ceremony this weekend, for free. Edward Augustus Mullen, Warner's young sidekick-confidential assistant for the past six years, is getting married at the Kluge Vineyards outside of Charlottesville this Saturday night, and Warner is the officiant. Mullen is marrying Jennifer Davis Kane (Note that there's no "i" in Kane, so there's no relation to the state's lieutenant governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine.) Wait a minute. Can Warner really do this? Yes, in fact, he can. It's not like being captain of a ship, according to Warner's staff,...
By Michael Shear | August 3, 2005; 05:07 PM ET | Comments (2)
Where's (Waldo) Warner?
Quick. It's July 14. Do you know where Mark Warner is? A) Arizona B) Iowa C) The District of Columbia D) Virginia E) Maine Well, if you read this on Friday, the right answer would be "B," Iowa, where Warner is leading his final meeting as chairman of the National Governors Association. No, he's not there to campaign for president. This is strictly an NGA affair. Very bipartisan. Very serious. (wink. wink.) But don't feel bad if you didn't get the answer right. In fact, odds are that if you picked one of the other states, you were probably just off by a few days. Last weekend, he was in Phoenix, giving a speech to Democrats there. A few days before that, he was in DC, speaking at the National Press Club. He would have been in Maine a couple of weeks ago, but he broke his hand, and had to...
By Michael Shear | July 14, 2005; 04:31 PM ET | Email a Comment
Road to Nowhere?
Ok, all you commuters. Here's a friendly reminder from the business community, just in case you might have forgotten: There's lots of traffic in Virginia. No, really, there is. Citizens for Better Transportation, a business group set up to lobby for more road and transit money, released two radio ads today telling people that there's traffic out there. Here's one ad: "Whether we live in the mountains, the D.C. suburbs or at the beach, Virginians have one thing in common: major transportation headaches. Congested commutes. Shortages of mass transit and passenger rail. Thousands of substandard bridges. Virginia's transportation problems threaten our quality of life, but we don't have to suffer in silence. Join Virginians for Better Transportation. Visit our Web site at itstimevirginia.org. It's time Virginia to demand some real solutions for better transportation." Ok, so it's really a recruiting/fundraising tool for CBT. But Steve Haner, a Chamber of Commerce executive...
By Michael Shear | July 13, 2005; 04:40 PM ET | Comments (3)
The (Presidential) Bike Accident
The politician was riding a bike one minute. The next, he was on the ground, hands injured -- along, we think -- with his ego. No. We're not talking about Mark Warner, whose bicycle spill broke his right hand in several places and required surgery. Today, it was President Bush who went tumbling over his handlebars after crashing his bike into a local police officer in Scotland. Bush suffered scrapes on his hands and arms -- no broken bones, like Warner. But hmmmm. Is there something here? Warner has a bike accident. Bush has a bike accident. Warner might run for president. Bush is president. Hmmmmmm. Warner spokeswoman Ellen Qualls certainly noticed the connection as she e-mailed the AP version of the president's two-wheeled adventure. Maybe others will, too....
By Michael Shear | July 6, 2005; 05:33 PM ET | Email a Comment
Don't Forget the Delegates
The races for the three statewide offices this year will surely keep political junkies busy over the coming months, but it's probably not too early to cast a glance forward toward some of the more talked about local races for the House of Delegates, where all 100 seats are up for grabs in November. Half of the seats will have contested elections this year, races that include Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Libertarians. A good way to forcast the more interesting races is to check out the fundraising. Using that litmus test, the granddaddy of House races thus far is in Fairfax County. There, Del. David B. Albo (R), who is eyeing an opportunity to be the next House Courts of Justice chairman, is facing Democrat Greg Werkheiser, who has thus far nearly matched the veteran lawmaker almost dollar for dollar. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign...
By Chris Jenkins | June 24, 2005; 05:53 PM ET | Email a Comment
Tough Tooties
Okay. So we're a little off-topic here, but anytime you can get the phrase "tough tooties" in something you write, you should. And when it's said to the governor of Virginia, well, that's even better. So let's back up. Virginia's secretary of administration, Sandy Bowen, was testifying today in front of the House Appropriations Committee about Gov. Mark Warner's decision to spend $5.6 million to take control of a building next to the state Capitol. (Full disclosure: The Post and several other news organizations call the building home.) She said the decision was based in part on concern that some unscrupulous tenant of the building might do something terrible to the governor, who's office is directly across a small street. If security was such a concern, some Republicans wondered, why didn't Warner install bullet-proof glass in the office? Bowen agreed, saying Warner was "wrong" not to install the glass. But she...
By Michael Shear | June 20, 2005; 03:06 PM ET | Comments (3)
Slow, Hot Primary Day
Happy voting--and Flag Day--Virginia. Just in case anyone was wondering, Jean Jensen, the secretary of Virginia State Board of Elections, reports that it's a slooooooooow day out there at the polling places. Sort of matches the dog-days-of-summer- lazy weather. It was so bad, a reporter joked with Jensen that poll workers were playing Texas Hold 'em poker. She wasn't buying it, she reports. No problems with voting machines to speak of thus far, she said. But the good news about low numbers is that the results will come in faster. Jensen said that she expects some of the smaller counties to have final election results on various delegate races up about 7:20 pm. That's 20 minutes after the polls close. She said barring any emergencies, results for the entire state should be on state board of elections Web site no later than 10 p.m. We'll have them here, too. And...
By Chris Jenkins | June 14, 2005; 02:22 PM ET | Comments (1)
Best Buddies -- For Now
It was a remarkable moment at the Richmond Marriott today. There was Democrat Mark Warner, all teeth, smiling grandly. And next to him was Republican George Allen, ruddy faced and grinning. Allen slapped his arm around Warner's back, saying "I compliment him," and then sang Warner's praises (for what seemed like an eternity) about the governor's commitment to high school standards. Both had come to the Marriott for a luncheon to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Virginia's Standards of Learning program. "We may be in different parties," Allen said, "but it's great, actually, for Virginians to know there is that commonality there." Warner returned the compliment, noting that "the standards movement in many ways started [under Allen] in Virginia." Kind words for two guys who could be headed on a collision course with each other. Allen's running for reelection next year, and top Democrats nationally want Warner to try to take...
By Michael Shear | June 13, 2005; 01:54 PM ET | Comments (2)
Tick-Tock, the Campaign Clock
With less than 24 hours till primary day in Virginia, Democrats and Republicans both started planning for ... the days after. The GOP announced it will hold a victory fly-around with the winners of their three primaries on Wednesday morning. (The party is confident enough that Jerry Kilgore will beat George Fitch that it referred calls about the fly-around to the Kilgore campaign.) The candidates will be joined by state party chairwoman Kate Obenshain Griffin and Republican National Committee Chairman Kenneth Mehlman. The fly-around starts in Richmond Wednesday morning, goes to Hampton Roads and then up to Northern Virginia. Democrats, meanwhile, are planning their own Unity Rally for Saturday. Tim Kaine, their candidate for governor, and Creigh Deeds, who is their attorney general candidate, will join the victor among the virtual gaggle of four Democrats vying for the lieutenant governor nod. Of course, Gov. Mark Warner will be there, too. No...
By Michael Shear | June 13, 2005; 11:33 AM ET | Comments (2)
Voters Guides Up
The voters guides for Tuesday's primaries were published today in The Post's Virginia Extras and are available on the site. Meanwhile, we're wrapping up our profiles of the statewide candidates. Today, Roz Helderman wrote about Del. Bob McDonnell, one of the two candidates in the Republican primary for attorney general. She wrote about the other contender, attorney Steve Baril, on Wednesday. Mike Shear profiled the underdog candidacy of George Fitch, the mayor of Warrenton who is running against Jerry Kilgore in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Chris Jenkins is wrapping up his set of stories about the House primaries in which anti-tax candidates have challenged six of the 17 Republican delegates who broke with party leaders and supported the tax increases last year. On Wednesday, Chris wrote about the contest between Del. Joe May and challenger Chris Oprison in Loudoun County's 33rd District. He plans to report on another district on Friday. ...
By Robert Thomson | June 9, 2005; 11:26 AM ET | Email a Comment
Did Kaine Want to Sue Smith and Wesson?
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Kilgore has a new radio spot out and boy is it a zinger. In it, a radio announcer says that Kilgore's Democratic opponent, lieutenant governor Tim Kaine is soft on the Second Amendment because he "vigorously supported gun control and wanted the city of Richmond to start suing gun companies." Sounds pretty bad, eh? Is it true? Let's peel back the onion a bit. Kilgore spokesman Tim Murtaugh says that the campaign is basing its assertion on a March 14, 1999, Richmond Times-Dispatch article that said in part: "The Richmond City Council has asked the city attorney's office for a report on the feasibility of such a suit ... However, [Kaine] and other city officials believe it would be difficult to sue gun manufacturers here." At the time, Kaine was the mayor of Richmond. Murtaugh said that shows Kaine had the intent, and therefore must have...
By Chris Jenkins | June 8, 2005; 10:39 AM ET | Comments (10)
Our Campaign Profiles
In today's Post, we finished our set of stories about the candidates in the primaries for lieutenant governor with a look at Sean T. Connaughton, the Republican chairman of the Prince William Board of Supervisors. In the next few days, we'll publish stories about the two candidates in the Republican primary for attorney general. Roz Helderman wrote an overview of that race that was published on Sunday. Also watch for upcoming stories on some of the interesting House primaries across the state. Chris Jenkins has been traveling to these districts, where those maverick Republican delegates who supported the tax increases least year are under challenge. Chris's most recent story, on the race between Del. Robert D. "Bobby" Orrock Sr. and Shaun V. Kenney, was published on Monday. On Monday, candidates filed their latest campaign finance reports, but Mike Shear previewed what the gubernatorial candidates would say in a story on Saturday,...
By Robert Thomson | June 7, 2005; 10:51 AM ET | Email a Comment
The Week Ahead
We plan to have a lot of stories on the campaign for you in this week's Post, heading into the last days before the June 14 primary. Chris Jenkins continues his set of stories about the fate of the Republican delegates who defied their party leadership last year and supported the tax increases. Today, Chris looks at the race between Del. Robert "Bobby" Orrock Sr. of Spotsylvania and challenger Shaun Kenney and tells us why it's so difficult to beat an entrenched incumbent. In coming days, Chris, Mike Shear and Roz Helderman will write about the House races, and about the candidates in the Republican primaries for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. On Thursday, Virginia readers of The Post will find their Voters Guides in the Extras, behind the Home section. There's a primer for the primary on our Web site. Plus, you'll find all the primary campaign stories by...
By Robert Thomson | June 6, 2005; 11:07 AM ET | Comments (1)
GPS Tracking of Sex Offenders Proposed
You may not have heard much about Sen. Creigh Deeds and his campaign for attorney general yet, because he's unnopposed for the Democratic nomination. But his latest campaign promise is getting some attention. Deeds want to use the same technology that barks directions to you in newfangled cars (Make a left, NOW!) to track sex offenders. Within 100 days of taking office, Deeds promises, he will assemble a posse (er, strike force) to "track down missing sex offenders from the sex offender registry. If you are a convicted sexually violent predator or sex offender, the police will slap a GPS locator on your ankle so they know where you are 24 hours a day, seven days a week." He would also use the satellite technology to create "Sexual Predator Free School Zones" to identify when offenders get within 100 feet of a school. What does the ACLU think of all this?...
By Michael Shear | June 3, 2005; 12:41 PM ET | Comments (3)
Busy Week
This is a very busy season for the Virginia reporters at The Post who are involved in our political coverage. We've begun to run profiles of the candidates for statewide office who have primaries on June 14. So far, we've run stories on J. Chapman Petersen and Leslie L. Byrne, two of the Democrats competing for the lieutenant governor, and we've got quite a few more to go. Over the next few days, we'll publish more of the profiles, and we'll also spotlight some of the House delegate primaries across the state. Mike Shear's political notebook in our Virginia Extras, which appear on Thursdays behind the Home section, looks at one candidate's strategy in the governor's race. You'll be able to see everything on the site, at www.washingtonpost.com/metro. We're also assembling our voters guides, which will appear in the Virginia Extras on June 9. The voters...
By Robert Thomson | May 25, 2005; 02:37 PM ET | Comments (1)
Lawyers Arguing over Ethics?
The two Republicans angling to become Virginia's next attorney general -- both of them lawyers -- began a nasty spat today over ethics. At a morning news conference, Richmond lawyer Steve Baril accused Del. Bob McDonnell of "washing money" through "front organizations" to finance attack ads. He was referring to a $220,000 contribution made by Americans for Tort Reform to the Virginia Conservative Action PAC, a Virginia group that shortly thereafter began running ads for McDonnell. McDonnell's campaign responded quickly, saying the VCAP ads will be fully reported and that the campaign has "followed the letter and spirit of Virginia law." McDonnell said he is "honored" to have the VCAP endorsement. The battle between McDonnell and Baril has been tense from the start, and both men raised more than enough money to fuel ads between now and June 14, when the party holds its primary. The winner will face Democratic Sen....
By Michael Shear | May 24, 2005; 02:52 PM ET | Comments (2)
Coming Soon
Judging by the questions that Post Magazine writer Joel Achenbach was asking today on "Talk Live With Marc Fisher," those of us involved in The Post's coverage of the Virginia election campaign have our work cut out for us. (Because of the one-term limit, Virginia governships do seem to go by in a flash, Joel, but they last considerably longer than six months. And no, the incumbent isn't the one who used to be married to Elizabeth Taylor.) For those of you following along at home, watch The Post and washingtonpost.com for profiles of all the statewide candidates in the June 14 primaries. We'll also spotlight some of the state's interesting races for the House of Delegates, including the challenges mounted by anti-tax conservatives against the maverick Republican delegates who voted for the tax increases during last year's legislative session. For the basics, you'll find a link to our Va. primary...
By Robert Thomson | May 24, 2005; 02:38 PM ET | Email a Comment
