McDonnell win based on economy

That Republican Bob McDonnell won the governor’s race in Virginia was not a surprise. He ran a well-managed campaign focused on boosting business and growing jobs. And he wound up topping Democrat R. Creigh Deeds by 17 percentage points in a race that turned decidedly negative.

So how to win in Virginia? Much has been made of the commonwealth’s 32-year pattern of electing a governor from the party opposite of the president. We think it’s much more simple. Skip the negative ads and look instead for a message that appeals to voters. Proof was found in exit poll results Tuesday, where about 47 percent of the voters said jobs and the economy were their primary concerns.

Virginians fundamentally care about strong education, good roads and stable jobs. They want a governor who has the best plan to take them there, not one who disparages the other guy. And McDonnell shone in this race because he offered a clear vision for job creation and had the overwhelming support of the commonwealth’s business community.

Deeds, frankly, was not as strong of a candidate and he faltered in attempts to paint McDonnell as a scary, far-right conservative who wants to keep women in the kitchen.

Yet if you can convince minority women to endorse you – even filthy rich ones like Black Entertainment Television co-founder Shelia Johnson, as McDonnell did – most people won’t believe you are a backward woman-hater.

Clearly, McDonnell is not a social progressive. He wasn’t one during the 14 years he spent in the House of Delegates and he won’t be one as governor. But Deeds failed in repeated attempts to scare the public away from his opponent. Deeds, a soft-spoken state senator from Bath County, should have worked harder to show voters how he was the better candidate.

Republican Jerry Kilgore, the former attorney general and Scott County, Va., native who lost his gubernatorial bid four years ago, used fear in his race against Democrat Tim Kaine. Kilgore tried to convince voters that Kaine, who opposes the death penalty, would refuse to administer it as governor. The tactic failed, Kaine won and Kilgore came across as belittling Kaine’s Catholic faith.

Since Tuesday’s election, political pundits have tried to tie McDonnell’s win to dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama. We strongly disagree. Obama still has high personal approval ratings, and Virginia is still a very red state.

Plus, on Tuesday, the younger voters who gave Obama the win last year stayed home. They were not excited by Deeds, despite the president making two trips to Virginia on his behalf.

Neither were independent voters, who overwhelmingly chose McDonnell.

The reason seems obvious: McDonnell was better prepared, more positive and had legions of business support during an unrelenting recession.

Deeds, who lost to McDonnell in the attorney general’s race four years ago, lacked the business support his opponent amassed. Deeds also slipped into a negative mode that was disingenuous for a man well-known for his likability and earnestness. Put off by negative slams, voters kept waiting for Deeds to talk more about himself and they were disappointed.

Then, a day before the election, Deeds’ campaign went fully negative with a news release slamming automated calls by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that were paid for by the Faith and Freedom Foundation, a group founded by Ralph Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition.

The criticism smacked of desperation and likely turned voters – who abhor negative attacks – away from Deeds.

That McDonnell is a Christian conservative who attended Regent University is not news. Nor is it news that Palin or Reed would support him. On Election Day, more than 1.1 million Virginia voters did, too.

Deeds, well-known for being selfless and kind, allowed his campaign to take this nasty turn. It was the wrong direction, and left a negative stain on his efforts. McDonnell easily surged to a win.

But this race was decided on the biggest issue in Virginia – the sagging economy. McDonnell has promised focused attention on our region to help add new businesses and associated jobs. We can’t wait for him to get to work.