Brian Patton on Phil Puckett
If Phillip Puckett wins the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, he will be the next Lt. Governor and help Tim Kaine become the next Governor. I understand why progressive Democrats think Puckett is too conservative on social issues for their liking. Those same views are what will guarantee a Puckett win in November. We just have to give him the chance.
Having Puckett on the ballot with Kaine offers an additional benefit. The Kilgore campaign has already revealed its intention to be ruthless. Kilgore received national attention for his defensive jab at Kaine regarding Southwest Virginians' accent. Kilgore's people now know this line of regional tactic works and will use it again. The next time, Kaine can step back and let Puckett blast Kilgore for resorting to such lows and tell everyone how important Southwest Virginia is to Kaine.
Now those are strategic reasons to vote for Puckett, but keep in mind he is a good man in his own right. He is a former Teacher, Principal, member of the Volunteer Fire Department, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Southwest Higher Education Center, Treasurer for Little League Baseball district, and currently serves as State Senator for the 38th District in the Virginia General Assembly.
Kenton Ngo on Leslie Byrne
I support Leslie Byrne for Lieutenant Governor because of all the candidates in the field, she holds true to progressive values and has the experience to match it. An activist for the PTA, a state delegate, state senator, and Virginia's first congresswoman, Leslie Byrne has the experience and the know-how to get things done. She supports equal rights for all Virginians, and the right for women to decide what is best for them, not the government. She feels these civil rights should be universal to all.
While in Congress, the League of Conservation Voters named her an "Environmental Hero" for her work in supporting our right to clean air and clean water. Leslie Byrne will fight for our values, and for progress for Virginia. The values to lead us forward, and the experience to be effective. I think we could use some TLC in Virginia...Tim Kaine, Leslie Byrne, and Creigh Deeds.
Lowell Feld on Viola Baskerville
Note: I'm honestly not sure who I'm supporting for Lt. Governor, but I'll make the argument for Viola Baskerville as best I can. Much of this material comes from Sam Penney's profile of Baskerville, as part of his series on the Lt. Governor candidates, earlier in the year.
First, Baskerville has a compelling personal story and an impressive political career. Raised in a house that her parents built in the East End of Richmond, Viola left at the age 13 to attend the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts on a full scholarship. Upon returning to Richmond, she became a community leader. In 1994, she ran for City Council and won. The Council also elected her Vice Mayor. In 1997, she ran for State Delegate, and won again. Since then, she has served admirably in the House of Delegates. In 1998, the Richmond YWCA awarded her their ?Outstanding Woman Award in Government and Politics.?
Second, Baskerville is eloquent and, when I met her at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, came across as an extremely intelligent, upbeat, and friendly person. She believes that ?slow and steady wins the race,? and often wears a silver turtle brooch, her ?mascot,? to illustrate this point. Baskerville can get away with lines that other candidates cannot, such as ?Honey, I am the best,? when asked who she thinks would make the strongest running mate for Tim Kaine. Significantly, Baskerville is the only African American in the Lt. Governor's race, and would probably boost the African American turnout in November if she wins the Democratic primary. This could be critical in helping the entire Democratic slate, from top to bottom.
Finally, Baskerville is a strong, "principled liberal" Democrat on issues like the environment, health care, and campaign finance reform. However, she is also an independent thinker and a champion of small business. During the campaign, Baskerville showed her independence by offering a real estate tax relief plan that differed from Tim Kaine's, focusing specifically on getting help to "those Virginians who need it most" - senior citizens and the disabled, plus farmers and small business owners. Baskerville believes in doing this without "bust[ing] the budgets or our local governments," showing that she is fiscally responsible as well as compassionate.
Sam Penney on Chap Petersen (Note: Sam is an unpaid intern with the Petersen campaign. )
I support Chap Petersen for a number of reasons. First, I like his long record of grassroots populism, which shows that he truly cares about his constituents. He understands that an elected official is to serve the people, not corporate campaign donors. Chap is calling for all-day kindergarten in Virginia in order to give kids a leg up on learning. This isn't just an issue he dreamed up to win votes, its something that he made a reality in Fairfax City while he served on the City Board.
Also, unlike any other candidate from either party, Chap has a clear plan to alleviate our traffic problems: moving freight and people from roads to rail by fully finding VRE, MARC, and other programs to get traffic off our roads and onto high speed rail, where it belongs. While doing all this, Delegate Petersen is careful with our tax dollars. In the House of Delegates, he passed legislation that would make any company that took public money in the form of incentives, etc., stay in the state for five years, or give all of the money back.
Last, Chap is also just a heck of a great guy. He has the charisma and proven campaign skills to win this race. In 2001, he defeated an incumbent Republican legislator by a 52%-48% margin. Two years later, he beat the same man again, this time with almost 60% of the vote. No other candidate for Lt. Governor has the ability to rally the Democratic base, and to win over Republicans in November. For instance, I spoke with one woman while handing out Petersen flyers, who was, quite frankly, rather rude to me, telling me in no uncertain terms that she was a Republican and that I should just go away and take a nice long hike off a very short pier. However, she stopped midsentence. "Wait a moment. Chap Petersen? He's the one who helped out my neighbor with a handicapped daughter. See you June 14th."
I'll be at the polls June 14th, too. Hope to see you there.