McAuliffe Campaign Releases New Ad Highlighting Business Plan and Big Ideas

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released a new television advertisement highlighting some of the main tenets of his business plan and his commitment to big ideas for Virginia's future.

"With Virginia families hurting, we need new ideas in Richmond. As Governor, I'll make Virginia a leader in renewable energy and create good jobs," McAuliffe says in the ad. "Some are afraid to think big, but President Kennedy didn't say we're going half way to the moon, he said we're going all the way. On June 9th I'd be honored to have your vote because are challenges our too big to think small."

Click here to read more.

State’s economic problems emerge as major force in the campaign

April 2, 2009
The Washington Post
Sandhya Somashekhar

The economic crisis is never far away as the four candidates for governor campaign across Virginia, and two of them yesterday provided a look at proposals they're offering in response.

The ideas unveiled yesterday include an initiative to lure Hollywood film crews to the state and a plan to create opportunities for small businesses and businesses owned by women and minorities.

The policy rollouts came as the Virginia Employment Commission reported that unemployment rose to its highest level since 1992. The rate hit 7 percent in February, up from 6.4 percent in January, but remained below the national average of 8.9 percent. Some of the local numbers are much worse, with Martinsville experiencing a 20.2 percent jobless rate.

Economic issues are likely to dominate the campaign in the months leading up to the June 9 Democratic primary, and on into the general election. Terry McAuliffe, Brian Moran and state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds are locked in a struggle for the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile, Robert F. McDonnell, the sole Republican contender, is preparing for what may be a tight race for the governor's mansion in November.

At George Mason University yesterday, McAuliffe said Virginia's appeal to Hollywood filmmakers could improve the state's economic picture. McAuliffe said he became familiar with the potency of the film industry while serving as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Click here to read more.

Great Expectations

March 25th, 2009
Editorial
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe is not only raising the volume of the gubernatorial contest. He is also raising the bar.

McAuliffe is rolling out a series of position papers on energy and business that go well beyond the typical two-page brochure full of bromides. This is not to say they eschew bromides; they include plenty. But they include more than mere bromides. In this day and age, that's commendable.

Click here to read more.

Innovative Ideas

If we're going to grow the economy and move Virginia forward, we can't just throw out policy proposals from the top down. We're all in this together, and so we all need to be a part of the solution. Too many good ideas never make it out of the legislature. Others never make it in there in the first place.

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have been bridging the partisan divide by reaching out to get people involved in the process - using innovative ideas like setting up a website so regular Virginians can give their thoughts about how to spend federal stimulus money.

That's the same approach I've taken to this campaign. I've been listening to you - here online, and at economic roundtables all over Virginia. After I wrap those up, I'm going to use your ideas to craft a very detailed business plan to grow Virginia's economy. But I wanted to take a moment and share a couple great ideas I've already gotten from folks like you.

Read more.

Tell me what you think

As you probably know, I'm not shy about telling people what I think. But in this campaign, I've been doing a lot of listening.

As I kicked off my candidacy, I held town halls across the Commonwealth so you could ask me about the experience I'd bring to the governor's office. And now, I'm traveling around the state to hear from people about their ideas for getting our economy back on track.

Read more.