Moran wins NoVa straw poll of Democratic faithful
Granted, Terry McAuliffe didn’t even show up, but that is not stopping Brian Moran from feeling good about a victory last night in the Mount Vernon Straw Poll. It was an event staged by insiders for insiders, but as straw polls often do, it demonstrated a certain degree of organizational capacity and grass roots support.
Straw polls don’t mean anything other than what they signify and this case it signifies the Moran camp’s continued dedication to work party rank and file to their side. While the general election may come down to who can prevent huge losses in their weaker parts of the state, the Democratic primary has the potential to be all about Northern Virginia. Moran continues to play to his base. He is working hard to lock them up and then build from there.
You can see a wrap of the event on Blue Commonwealth. (It includes the results from the other statewide races, which were contested as well)
And while it may be hard to gauge the full level of Moran’s support because McAuliffe wasn’t there, the Macker’s absence speaks volumes. He appears to only be interested in getting into fights he can win.
It may turn out to be a minor blip on the democratic primary radar, but it is still worth noting. Much like McAuliffe’s legitimate television buy shows the depth of his pocket books, Moran’s continued support from democratic party loyalists shows where he continues to be strong.
More on McAuliffe and Moran after the jump..
The win was needed for Moran, who is undoubtedly still smarting from McAuliffe gaining the endorsement of the powerful Virginia Professional Fire Fighters union. The union has a history of backing winners and using their extensive membership to get out the vote and raise money. It was a pretty picture for the Macker to be photographed with all the trademark yellow shirts behind him at the Omni in Richmond.
McAuliffe comes to Richmond on Monday to host an economic roundtable the details are below.
Time: 11:15am
Main Street Station
1500 East Main Street
Second Floor Parlor Room
Richmond, VA 23219
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The VPFF is hardly “all powerful”, since there are UAW, CWA, USW union members through out the Commonwealth. Yes they are loud and proud, but sadly outnumbered when the Va. AFL-CIO affiliated unions throw in their support, which will probably go to Moran!
JC
February 23, 2009 at 1:48 am