Gubernatorial campaign enters home stretch

Republican candidate for governor Bob McDonnell said Virginia’s statewide GOP ticket is positioned to win on Tuesday.

Virginia’s two other candidates for statewide office, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli, who is campaigning for attorney general, along with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, joined McDonnell on Friday to rally voters at the Depot.

And although polls have McDonnell ahead, Steele reminded the crowd that people, not polls will determine who leads the state, a message the candidates repeated throughout the event.

“Make that further commitment to knock on one more door…make sure you’re making a difference, because this is about you, this is about you want as Virginians,” Steele said. “This is about what you want as Americans, the kind of leadership you want in place to help you grow your businesses, create jobs…that’s leadership, that’s this team.”

“Elect them on Tuesday, don’t let them down, and for Lord’s sake, don’t screw it up,” Steele said. The crowd erupted into laughter and applause.

About 150 people gathered under gray skies outside the train station to express their support for the candidates. Accompanied by two of McDonnell’s five children and a handful of staffers, the group arrived just after 2 p.m. in a blue recreational vehicle adorned with a large picture of McDonnell and his family on the side. The group’s stop here is part of a last-minute campaign blitz across the state.

Heads turned and television news crews from Washington, D.C. trained their cameras on the vehicle as the group disembarked and made their way towards the podium, shaking hands along the way.

“To stand this close to victory with the next governor of this state, this is incredible,” Steele said. “Don’t lose sight of the fact that you have put together a group of individuals who represent the new Virginia, who represent new ideas, who represent a new way forward, not just for the Republican party, not just for the state of Virginia, but for our country,” said Steele.

Next week, he continued, voters can send the Obama administration and other Democrats nationwide a clear message to keep the government’s hands off business, healthcare and personal freedoms.

Noticing a couple of women at the rear of the crowd holding signs supporting McDonnell’s opponent, Democrat Creigh Deeds, Bolling called them out, getting laughs at their expense.

“Look back there,” he said, gesturing to toward the street. “There is Creigh Deeds’ only supporter in Culpeper,” Bolling said. “One sign.”

Cuccinelli also injected a little humor into the rally during his remarks.

“I think the Dems are getting so desperate, they’re thinking of bringing (governor) Tim Kaine into Virginia to campaign,” he said, making light of Kaine’s out-of-state travels as Democratic National Committee chairman.

Turning serious, Cuccinelli reiterated the point made earlier by the others. “We’re in a position to win, but we haven’t done it yet. The only poll that counts is the one they’re going to count on election night Nov. 3,” he said.

Bob McDonnell’s oldest daughter Jeanine, an army lieutenant who recently served in Iraq, took the podium to introduce her father.

“My dad is a good man, he is a decent man, he is a man who absolutely from the bottom of his heart, loves the state of Virginia. That’s why he’s been serving you for 18 years.” McDonnell resigned as attorney general in February to campaign full time.

“We all feel like we are ready to lead if you all are ready to win,” McDonnell exclaimed. “Are you all ready to win?” he asked. The crowd responded with another enthusiastic cheer.

“We’ve all taken a stand to say that some of the things that are proposed in the United States Congress like major new deficit spending, card check, cap and trade, unfunded mandates, these are not the things that are going to help Virginia be more competitive, more prosperous and lead to better opportunities for our citizens.

Speaking after the rally, Steele said he thinks the GOP’s recent gains in Virginia and elsewhere stem from hard work and the ability of the Republican party to translate promises and principles into policies and reality for everyone.

“To the extent that the candidate can go out and look people in the eye and say, ‘This is what I’m going to do to help you keep your job, grow your business, get your first home’ or whatever, they’re responding to that, because the federal government has failed to do that.”