Decision Virginia

Brian Moran made a quick swing through Richmond this afternoon to work the phones at his campaign office on 8th Street, downtown. The candidate seemed upbeat and confident about his chances on June 9th. He told me that he is right where he wants to be at this point in the primary race.

Moran, more than any other candidate, has been taken quite a bit of heat for the tough words he and his campaign staff have used to define their opponents. For the most part, his attacks have been trained directly at Terry McAuliffe, but perhaps in an indication of where the momentum lies, both Moran and McAuliffe have taken a few shots at Sen. Creigh Deeds.

No one would argue that of the three candidates for governor, Deeds’ record is the closest to the center. It is a quality that could serve him well should he survive past Tuesday. However, by the same token, it is a drawback that may prevent him from getting that far. While Deeds has been critized for his positions on gay rights and the environment, his two opponents have seemed to focus on one issue in particular: Guns.

Both Moran and McAuliffe sent out mail pieces hammering Deeds on guns. Moran reminding voters that he won the NRA endorsement over Bob McDonnell four years ago (h/t Washington Post), and  McAuliffe reminding them that he voted to allow concealed weapons in bars (h/t Blue Virginia).

When I spoke to Moran this afternoon he called the Deeds record on guns “extreme.”

He went on to say that Deeds “is the only democratic candidate to receive the endorsement of the NRA since 1989 and this different from Warner, Kaine and myself or Jim Webb. He’s the only one who has received that recognition.”

I have reached out to the Deeds campaign for their response. If I get one, I will update the post.

**UPDATE** Deeds Communications Director Brooke Borkenhagen responded with the following statement:

“These distortions from Brian Moran won’t do anything to help move Virginia forward. He’s just trying to tear us apart.

Creigh has the same position on guns as Mark Warner and Jim Webb – two strong Virginia Democrats who have been elected in statewide primary and general elections.

The Washington Post endorsed Creigh Deeds over Brian Moran and Terry McAuliffe and the editorial cited Creigh’s work to close the gunshow loophole as evidence as to why he “would make the best Governor in the Warner-Kaine tradition.”

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