Live Blog!

Good evening loyal readers.

I'm spending the night sitting in front of my TV watching the results pool in. So far it has been pretty depressing news but northern Virginia has yet to come in. While it is clear that McDonnell is the victor, I'm guessing it will be closer than some have estimated.

I wanted to take some time to thank all the supporters who came out for Deeds today. We may not have won but we made our presence known. Additionally, I would like to thank all of the supports who have maintained an active voice throughout this entire election. Don't give up. Your voice is still heard.

And like they say, there's always next time.

-Anthony

UPDATE 8:40- Politico has announced "GOP sweeps Virginia elections" and crowned McDonnell winner. I'm still hoping the unannounced northern Virginian votes make this a closer race.
Politico: "McDonnell's decisive victory brings an end to eight years of Democratic control of the governor's office in Richmond and breaks a series of disappointing elections for the Virginia GOP, which saw their state flip to the Democratic column for the first time in 44 years in last year's presidential election. The Associated Press called the race with just under 30 percent of precincts reporting."

UPDATE 9:02- The race is not getting any closer. To make things worse Bolling is leading by about 16 points (58%-42%), and Cuccinelli by 18 points (59%-41%).

Election Day!

The polls are open. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. Click here to find out where to vote, or to sign up to volunteer.

DO YOU BELIEVE?

As we sit here on the eve of the election, the pundits have already decided who will win tomorrow’s race for Governor. However, they have forgotten one thing: they don’t get to decide Virginian’s next Governor. The people of Virginia do.

Polls are polls, and they offer a snapshot of particular moment in time. They are not election results. Anything can happen when the voters stand in the privacy of the voting booth, and ask themselves what they want for their future. Do they want to be led by a man that has denounced homosexuality and woman who have the audacity to get a job? Do they want the man that has run the most negative campaign Virginia has ever seen? Or do they want the candidate with the real vision for the future?

At this point, it would be an upset if Creigh Deeds won. But it won’t take a miracle. The Democrats now have an extensive organization built in Virginia, and that organization has the ability to turn out people that are not considered “likely voters,” and therefore are not included in the polls. There is also the possibility that McDonnell voters have become complacent, and will decide to stay home because they believe, as the pundits do, that the election has already been decided.

So basically, anything can happen. It is still in the hands of the voters, and the choice is clear: Bob McDonnell wants to move Virginia backwards, and Creigh Deeds wants to lead the way forward.

This election matters, and every vote counts. Click here to find your polling place.

-Mike

Getting out the votes with Creigh

It ha sbeen a pleasure to meet the people of Virginia as I went canvassing with the campaign this past weekend. The timing feels good and the energy behind Creigh is there, it just needs to materialize on Tuesday.

Everyone in the cmapaign has had great expectations and poured their hearts and souls into spreaidng Creigh's message since the primaries and before then. It is a special time when the campaign's can no longer sway, the airwaves saturated, the newspapers full of ads, and the blogs posting away.

This get out the vote period is now up to every Virginian to accomplish on their own. It is time for each perosn to exercise their right to vote.

I hope to see every Virginian voting for Creigh or not to come out otmorrow in Market Square in Old Town Alexandria at 6pm to meet Creigh and the whole deomocratic ticket. Bob Mcdonnell was right for one time in the campaign this weekend at Shenandoah Regional Airport when he said polling does not matter. The only poll that matters is the one on Nov. 3rd. I cannot wait for the final poll to be taken and to hopefully have Creigh Deeds as Govenor elect of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

For a little more about where the candidates have been in recent days and where you can find them tomorrow see this article from the Richmond Dispatch:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/GOVS02_20091101-222403/303131/

DON'T FORGET...6PM IN MARKET SQUARE IN OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA!

Ben

Obama Addresses VA!

President Obama is going above and beyond to endorse Deeds for this election! As if the rally wasn't enough, President Obama is sending a personal message to over 330,000 Virginians. The letter is intended to persuade voters to get out, vote, and vote blue for this coming election. I anticipate the letter will way in heavily for the end results in this campaign. After all, who wouldn't be flattered by a personal letter addressed to you from the President of the United States?

In the letter, Obama writes, "To make real changes in this country, it will take more than just my presidency - it requires your continued vigilance in the cause of progress. To move this country forward, I need the support and partnership of good governors who are ready to help lay the foundations of change. And this November 3rd is your opportunity to help Virginia do just that."

Just when we thought it may be over, the campaign continues to surprise us. If the campaign has anymore tricks up their sleeves like this one, I suggest pulling out the big guns now; it's now or never in these final days before the election. It's not over yet folks. Let's continue to mobilize and spread Creigh's message. While Obama's endorsement is a major victory for the campaign, it is going to take a lot more than one man (even if he is president) to win this election. On November 3rd, join me, Obama, and thousands of Virginians to help keep Virginia blue!

If you missed it, here's a mini clip of Obama calling VA to action:



-Anthony

Deeds on Holy Ground

According to the Virginian Pilot, Creigh Deeds completed a whirlwind tour of eleven churches this past Sunday. This is a fantastic strategy from the Deeds campaign. Visiting churches is a reliable way to connect with people that are likely to vote. Not only do older people tend to go to church and vote in larger numbers, according to the article, the churches Deeds targeted were also predominately African American. This is a key constituency that came out in large numbers for Barack Obama last fall and many expect them to stay home on November 3rd. That is unless Deeds can get them to come out to the polls.

A Path to Victory

The map featured above provides a visual representation of the county results from the 2008 Presidential election. It was in that election that Barack Obama beat John McCain in the state of Virginia by a comfortable 6 point margin, 53 percent to 47 percent. This marked the first time a Democrat carried the state of Virginia since 1964. This map illustrates that there are Democratic voters in Virginia, and they are willing to come out and vote. Our job is to motivate these voters. We need to show them exactly how much is at stake in this election.