Friday, October 30, 2009
Deeds makes stop in Roanoke
Despite trailing in the polls, Creigh Deeds told supporters that hard work could turn the election.
JARED SOARES The Roanoke Times
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds made an appearance at his Roanoke campaign office Thursday afternoon. After speaking with supporters, Deeds made calls to area voters.
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roanoke.com/politics
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds swung through Roanoke on Thursday to rally volunteers just days before voters go to the polls to decide his fate.
About 70 supporters greeted Deeds at a campaign office in downtown Roanoke. Roughly half of them were high school students from the nearby CITY School.
Deeds, who is trailing Republican Bob McDonnell by double-digit percentage points in a variety of polls, told the crowd that their hard work could still turn the election.
"Polls don't matter," Deeds said. "The only poll that matters is Nov. 3. If we do our work between now and then, if we never, ever, ever give up, and we work as hard as we can until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, we're going to win this election."
But despite the cheers from supporters in the office, the general atmosphere seemed downbeat when compared with a Republican event that drew about 200 people to the Roanoke Regional Airport on Wednesday. There were some key differences between the two events -- McDonnell was supported by former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the rest of the statewide ticket, while Deeds appeared solo -- but the contrast in energy was marked.
Headed into the final weekend before Election Day, the Deeds campaign is working to try to energize many of those who voted for President Obama last year.
"We believe that many of these voters are best reached by the person-to-person networks that the Obama campaign created in 2008 and that the Deeds campaign is working to activate again this year," wrote Deeds campaign manager Joe Abbey in an e-mailed news release.
Deeds echoed that in Roanoke.
"Frankly the president had a get-out-the-vote machine that was second to none," Deeds said. "Tuesday we had a great rally in Norfolk [with Obama]. ... He sent about 10 people here two or three weeks ago that are working the ground. There are a bunch of surge voters out there, and we think if we can get most of those people out, or a bunch of them, we can win this election."
After his speech to supporters and comments to media, Deeds sat down by himself at a table in the office and, using the office's volunteer script, made a series of calls to Roanoke Valley voters. Many of his supporters trickled out, despite requests by campaign staff to remain and work through the afternoon. Several replied they would be back to work on Election Day.
Deeds and his statewide ticket mates -- lieutenant governor candidate Jody Wagner and attorney general candidate Steve Shannon -- will begin a last-minute get-out-the-vote tour today, culminating in a visit to the Friday night jamboree at the Floyd Country Store with Gov. Tim Kaine and U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb.
McDonnell is conducting a similar get-out-the-vote state tour across central and eastern Virginia with his statewide ticket mates -- incumbent Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli-- and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
Both campaigns will swing through Roanoke again Monday, when Deeds appears at Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Roanoke and McDonnell makes another fly-through stop at the Roanoke Regional Airport.
