Deeds says country background would be good for Va.

If voters send him to Richmond in November, Democratic nominee for governor Creigh Deeds said his early experiences in rural Bath County will benefit all Virginians.

Deeds, 51, is facing the state’s Republican nominee for governor, Bob McDonnell. In 2005, McDonnell defeated Deeds by a few hundred votes to claim the attorney general’s seat.

Elected to the House of Delegates in 1991, Deeds won reelection five times before leaving the House for the Senate. He represents the state’s 25th District, which stretches to the West Virginia Border and includes the City of Charlottesville.

Questions and answers
Deeds attended a Brandy Station fundraiser and invitation-only dinner at a private residence. Before heading to dinner, Deeds sat down for a 15-minute interview after landing at Culpeper Regional Airport.

CSE: If elected, would your administration benefit rural Virginians?

Deeds: “I’ve got a rural perspective. Coming from Bath County, you have to look for ways to create opportunity for other people. You have to create win-win situations. … I come from a part of the state where there’s not a lot of opportunity — I’m going to work to create opportunity everywhere. I think rural Virginia will benefit hugely by having a guy in the governor’s mansion who knows what it’s like to live in the country, who knows what it’s like to not have a lot of opportunity, who knows what it’s like to do farm work.”

CSE: What do you think about the ongoing healthcare debate and what can President Obama and Congress do to address the issue? What will you do to address the healthcare issue?

Deeds: “This is an issue on which I don’t think Congress can afford to fail. I don’t like the idea of the federal government taking over our health-care system. I think there’s got to be a solution out there to bring costs down to provide more coverage to people.

Over 46 million Americans now are uninsured. As someone who intends to be the next governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I’m really focused on the health care issues that I think I’ll face as governor.

In Virginia, you’ve got about 1.1 million Virginians uninsured and about three-quarters of those work full-time or either live with someone that does…I know lots of small business people that want to provide insurance to their employees because they know that’s the way to attract…qualified employees, but they can’t afford to. We’ve got to find ways to bring down the cost of insurance.”

CSE: Will any other well-known Democrats be joining you for the remainder of the campaign?

Deeds: “I’ve already campaigned with the president this election in northern Virginia and I expect he will be back; I’ve campaigned with the vice president, I expect he will be back…I’ve campaigned with Mark Warner, I’ve campaigned with Jim Webb, I’ve campaigned with Tim Kaine. I’m proud to have all their support.”

CSE: Do you perceive a shift in the state’s political trends after several Democratic wins and are you trying to reach any specific voter demographic?

Deeds: “I’m looking to Virginians — I’m looking to people who live in the Commonwealth of Virginia — Democrats, Republicans, independents — it doesn’t make any difference to me. I want people who are looking to solutions to our problems. That’s the people I want to try and talk to and win votes from…Virginia’s still a right of center state. People are independent minded, they think for themselves and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

CSE: Will you continue to focus attention on McDonnell’s thesis? (Written by McDonnell in 1989 while a grad school student, the thesis has attracted negative attention because of the views it contains on women in the workforce and homosexuals, among other topics. McDonnell has distanced himself from the paper, saying his views have shifted.)

Deeds: “He wrote the thesis 20 years ago, but he spent 20 years living it. Each one of us has our own individual views, and that’s the way of the world — we’re not all alike … where I come from — I’ve been in the legislature 18 years — I come from a part of the state where there’s not a lot of opportunity.

My focus has been — and you can look at the bills I’ve introduced — education and economic development. Throughout the remainder of this campaign, I’m going to stay focused on the issues I think are important, on ways we can rebuild Virginia’s economy, but when contrasts are necessary, I’m going to draw them.”