This from John Behan of the Commonwealth Conservative:
?I?d be a little embarrassed if I were Tim Kaine. Traditionally on petition drives, Governor?s campaigns have performed much better than down-ticket campaigns because they have larger operations and presumably more volunteers,? stated McDonnell campaign manager Janet Polarek. ?Gathering petition signatures is hard work and requires many dedicated volunteers who are willing to give up their own time to help a candidate they believe in. You would think a candidate for Governor would be able to tap into that.?
OK, we'll pick this apart point by point:
1. Yes, McDonnell's tally is impressive. It clearly shows that he does have significant grassroots support.
2. Candidates for statewide office only need 10,000 signatures. There's no particular reason to keep collecting well past that number, especially if there are more pressing projects for the campaign.
3. Tim Kaine has no reason whatsoever to be "embarrassed." He has over 170% of the signatures required, and had more signatures than any other candidate.
4. This story proves what I've been saying all along: If we want to win in November, we're going to have to run a coordinated campaign with pooled resources. If Republican AG candidates are willing to take cheap potshots at Tim Kaine, our downballot candidates had better be willing to go after Jerry Kilgore, too.
(That said, I would like to thank John for mentioning me in his article.)