Summer has arrived and people are spending more and more time outdoors. Yet, as Washington Post reporter Anita Kumar has observed, Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates are staying out of the public eye.
Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell are opting for private fundraising functions rather than public events. According to Kumar, Deeds has held only a few events since his win in the June primaries. McDonnell is going on vacation. In the last gubernatorial race between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore, at this point in the summer, both were actively campaigning.
Yet, people don’t seem to mind the tranquil, politics-free summer. According to comments left by readers on the WaPo website, the absence of radio and TV ads is a relief.
For some, Deeds is “trying to distance himself from Kaine,” wrote a reader. “And McDonnell would be smart to be trying to figure out how to run on a Republican ticket while not alienating gays and non-Christians.”
For one reader, however, the absence is undoubtedly going to hurt Deeds. “The Democratic candidate needs to really get in gear. I haven’t heard anything about Creigh for weeks. Who is out there trying to energize the progressive electorate to vote for Creigh? The stakes are enormous; 4 more years of terrible roads and too little spending on public transit systems.”