McAuliffe Statement on the Nomination of Bob McDonnell

Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe this morning released the following statement on the official nomination of Bob McDonnell as the Republican candidate for governor:

"I want to congratulate Bob McDonnell on formally becoming the Republican nominee today. If I have the honor of becoming the Democratic nominee, I look forward to talking about the differences in our records - I am the only candidate for governor with experience creating thousands of jobs, the only one who hasn't been mired in the partisan bickering in Richmond, and the only one who will bring the same executive style leadership that Governors Warner and Kaine brought to the office.

"I'm proud of my experience and my record, but this weekend, Bob McDonnell, surrounded by Mitt Romney, Sean Hannity, and other Republicans has tried to reinvent his. They've all tried to hide his long divisive ideological record, and portray him as someone who now is a moderate.

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McAuliffe Signs VA Dems Petition Protesting McDonnell's Opposition to Extending Unemployment Benefits

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe signed the Virginia Democratic Party's grassroots petition to protest Bob McDonnell and Virginia Republicans for rejecting $125 million in federal economic recovery funds to extend unemployment benefits. McAuliffe released the following statement:

"Bob McDonnell's opposition to accepting $125 million to extend unemployment benefits is a slap in the face to the thousands of Virginia families struggling under the current economic crisis. With unemployment reaching over 20% in communities like Martinsville, it is unconscionable that McDonnell would turn a cold shoulder to Virginia's unemployed workers.

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McAuliffe Condemns McDonnell's Rejection of $125 Million to Alleviate High Unemployment

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released the following statement on the decision of Virginia Republicans and Bob McDonnell to reject $125 million in federal economic recovery funds for extended unemployment benefits:

"Yesterday, Virginia Republicans, led by Bob McDonnell, turned their backs on Virginia families and communities facing record unemployment rates and unprecedented economic challenges. At a time when we should be working across party lines to get our economy back on track, McDonnell has shown once again that he is more interested in political games and heated partisan rhetoric than working to find bipartisan solutions. "Not only will this decision to reject $125 million in federal economic recovery money hurt our families, but it will also discourage responsible behavior among unemployed workers, like looking for part-time work and enrolling in job training programs. We should be doing everything in our power to encourage unemployed Virginians to take these steps.

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McAuliffe Campaign Releases New Radio Ad Highlighting Voting Rights

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released a new radio advertisement criticizing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell for standing by silently when a House of Delegates committee voted down early voting and no excuse absentee legislation. The ad also highlights McAuliffe's record of standing up for voting rights.

"As Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe created the Voting Rights Institute to protect disenfranchised voters," the ad says. "Terry McAuliffe is the leader who will protect our community's rights and create thousands of jobs. Terry McAuliffe for Governor, because we need a leader who will defend our rights and bring new ideas and new energy to Richmond."

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McAuliffe Condemns Voter Suppression Remarks from McDonnell Surrogate Mike Huckabee

Today, on a conference call with reporters, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell surrogate Mike Huckabee's remarks encouraging voter suppression.

At a recent campaign event, Huckabee was caught on tape making the following statement: "You have two jobs. One, get all those people who are going to vote for Bob out to the polls and vote. If they're not going to vote for Bob, you have another job. Let the air out of their tires and do not let them out of their driveway on Election Day. Keep 'em home. Do the Lord's work, my friend. I'm giving you an opportunity…yes, do the right thing." Video of Huckabee's remarks can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDMMGw_S9eo.

McAuliffe released the following statement: "When I became the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, the very first thing I announced was the formation of the Voting Rights Institute. Every year, we have seen attempts at voter suppression all across the country. Let's be clear: there are no jokes to be made about denying people the right to vote in this country. It's not a laughing matter. This is a right that people fought and died for, so as public figures, we must be sure that we are setting the standard.

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Weekly Blog Roundup 3/9/09

Welcome to the second installment of the McAuliffe for Governor weekly blog roundup. This past week, bloggers talked about the fight against offshore oil drilling in Virginia, a blogger dinner held at our campaign headquarters, and Terry’s interesting encounters along the campaign trail.

Last week, Terry hosted a handful of local and national bloggers at our campaign headquarters to talk about running a grassroots campaign. Chris Guy at Fred2Blue took away some positive observations from the meeting.

One person in attendance pointed out that a lot of candidates for office make a big deal about courting the netroots during the campaign, but once they get elected your emails don’t get returned the way they used to. Terry promised that, if elected Governor, he’ll try and make these get-togethers a regular occurrence. Considering how much he likes talking to people, I tend to believe him… so far McAuliffe has the best campaign, hands down.

At Article XI, Lowell posted a video from the blogger meeting, which features Terry talking about energy and the environment.

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Rush Limbaugh

At a time when we desperately need to come together as a nation, Rush Limbaugh's gone out of his way to sabotage our President - announcing publicly that he wants Barack Obama to fail.

This kind of rhetoric does nothing but pollute our political process. That's why after Rush reiterated his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, I called on Bob McDonnell to condemn them. But so far, Bob's refused to say anything that might offend the GOP's ringleader.

Now we need your help to apply some public pressure in order to make it happen.

Read more.

McAuliffe asks Republican to condemn Limbaugh remarks

March 3rd, 2009
CNN Political Ticker

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As national Democrats eagerly point to Rush Limbaugh’s influence among Republicans, one Virginia Democrat is looking to make the radio host a flash point in this year’s governor’s race.

Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman now seeking his party's nomination for governor, sent a letter Tuesday to the de facto Republican nominee, former state Attorney General Bob McDonnell, asking him to reject Limbaugh’s recent statement that he wants President Obama to fail.

“I know that you and I disagree on many issues, but I'm hoping that we can agree on this: hoping for failure isn't the right way to get our economy back on track,” McAuliffe wrote in the letter. “That's why I'm asking you to join me in condemning the remarks Rush Limbaugh made wishing for the President to fail.”

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Terry McAuliffe Releases Letter Calling on Bob McDonnell to Condemn Rush Limbaugh's Remarks

Today, Terry McAuliffe sent the following letter to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell, calling on him to condemn Rush Limbaugh's remarks regarding the Obama administration:

Dear Bob,

I know that you and I disagree on many issues, but I'm hoping that we can agree on this: hoping for failure isn't the right way to get our economy back on track.

That's why I'm asking you to join me in condemning the remarks Rush Limbaugh made wishing for the President to fail.

I'm sure that you are hearing the same things from Virginians that I am - they are nervous about their future; they're struggling to hold onto their homes and their jobs; they want us to stay focused on getting results for them.

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McAuliffe Looks To General Election

February 26th, 2009
The Washington Post
Anita Kumar

In a fundraising letter sent yesterday, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe ignored his Democratic opponents and instead went after Republican nominee Robert F. McDonnell.

"It seems like every time we get a chance to put aside partisanship and get things done, Bob McDonnell chooses ideology over what's best for the Commonwealth,'' McAuliffe said. "Maybe that's why I heard Republicans are going to throw the kitchen sink into Virginia to help his campaign. Sure enough, Bob's planning to bring in people like Sean Hannity, John McCain and Sarah Palin in order to fuel it."

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Candidate of No

It seems like every time we get a chance to put aside partisanship and get things done, Bob McDonnell chooses ideology over what's best for the Commonwealth.

Maybe that's why I heard Republicans are going to throw the kitchen sink into Virginia to help his campaign. Sure enough, Bob's planning to bring in people like Sean Hannity, John McCain and Sarah Palin in order to fuel it.

That's fine. While they focus on the kitchen sink, I'm focusing on your kitchen table and the issues you talk about every single night as you sit around it - your job, your home, your roads, and your schools.

Read more.

Candidate of No

It seems like every time we get a chance to put aside partisanship and get things done, Bob McDonnell chooses ideology over what's best for the Commonwealth.

Maybe that's why I heard Republicans are going to throw the kitchen sink into Virginia to help his campaign. Sure enough, Bob's planning to bring in people like Sean Hannity, John McCain and Sarah Palin in order to fuel it.

That's fine. While they focus on the kitchen sink, I'm focusing on your kitchen table and the issues you talk about every single night as you sit around it - your job, your home, your roads, and your schools.

Read more.

McDonnell, McAuliffe Square Off in Fairfax Race

Washington Post
Tim Craig
January 28, 2009

The first battle of the 2009 general election campaign for governor will take place next week when voters in Fairfax County go to the polls to elect a new board chairman.

Emboldened by the near victory of a GOP House candidate in heavily Democratic Alexandria earlier this month, Virginia Republicans are hoping Fairfax Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) can defeat his Democratic opponent, Supervisor Sharon S. Bulova (Braddock), in the chairman’s race.

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Reflections on Terry's Announcement Tour

I’ve been following Terry around Virginia with a camera, and some things have become pretty clear:

First: Terry is an impact candidate. Wherever he goes, Terry not only draws a crowd, but he engages that crowd in a real conversation about where this Commonwealth needs to go. When people leave a Terry McAuliffe event, they’re energized, they know they’ve met a candidate with the talent and drive to win, and they’re engaged in the fight we have in front of us in 2009 to keep Virginia on top.

We’re going to need that energy and that engagement. We’ve just had a huge election for Democrats, but the Virginia Governor’s race will be the only competitive top-of-the-ticket race for 2009, and there won’t be any national race to turn Democrats out. The Republicans are hungry – they’ve been losing and they have a strong candidate in Bob McDonnell. We need a candidate who can create his own energy and generate the kind of support we’ll need to drive strong Democratic turnout, win this race and keep Virginia heading in the right direction.

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McAuliffe Woos Loudoun Voters At Vintage 50

By Alex Bahr, Leesburg Today

Talk of the economy dominated candidate for Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe’s meet-and-greet appearance at Vintage 50 in Leesburg Saturday afternoon.

During his speech and the following question-and-answer section, the former Democratic National Committee chairman stressed the importance of creating incentives for companies to invest in green energy projects within the state, such as biodiesel production centers and wind farms.

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McAuliffe Raises $1 million in 6 weeks

Tim Craig, Washington Post

Terry McAuliffe announced today he’s raised nearly $1 million since mid November for his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor.

In a memo to donors, McAuliffe said he doubled his goal of $500,000. The memo said almost all of the money came from people who own homes or businesses in Virginia. McAuliffe’s campaign estimates that less than $40,00 came from out of state.

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