Just a couple of days after Terry McAuliffe officially announced his candidacy for Virginia governor, he descended on Charlottesville for a town hall meeting at Zocalo Restaurant. Ushered by local author John Grisham, McAuliffe sported his usual Mentos smile.
“The race is on,” said Grisham. “We’ve got a great horse in the race, and it’s not going to be a quiet race. Not with Terry McAuliffe.” McAuliffe is challenging State Senator Creigh Deeds and State Delegate Brian Moran for the Democratic nomination.
A lifelong businessman and entrepreneur, McAuliffe had a simple message: “It’s about jobs,” he says. “As governor, I want to make it my job to protect your job."
McAuliffe, left, got an introduction from John Grisham.
Former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, McAuliffe said he would bring his business expertise, his “proven” record of job creation and "new and exciting" ideas to Richmond.
“I want to grow the economy. Virginia ought to be the leader in renewable energy,” he said. But before diving in specifics, McAuliffe recognized that Governor Tim Kaine and former governor Mark Warner “cut most of the fat out of the budget,” and asserted that there isn’t much cutting left to do.
Among the specifics, McAuliffe called for a mandatory renewable energy standard—as many other states already do—as well as calling for high-speed rail, alternative transportation, a better education system and better pay for teachers. If elected, McAuliffe said he will donate his salary as governor to a local school.
His ultimate promise to the citizens of Virginia is that he will “create more jobs than all of the other governors in the 49 states.”
C-VILLE’s Odd Dominion has taken a jaundiced view of the Macker’s campaign. Are you buying what McAuliffe is selling, or are you leaning towards Deeds or Moran?