[Updated] Photos and Analysis of Andy Hurst Event With Tim Kaine

Since the election is just a little more than a week away, the last few weeks have seen an increasing number of events taking place in order to encourage more and more people to get involved, or at least make it out to the polls on Election Day. One of those events held yesterday afternoon was a fundraiser for Andrew Hurst held at the home of Liz and TC Mullany. As Andy mentioned during his speech, the Mullany family has been strong supporters of the Hurst Campaign and one cannot even begin to describe all of the work they have done in order to help spread the word about future Congressman Andy HurstGÇÖs platform. It therefore shouldnGÇÖt come as any surprise that they would graciously welcomed fellow Hurst supporters into their beautiful home for the afternoon. In addition to the MullanyGÇÖs hospitality, the lively crowd was treated to speeches given by Andy Hurst, Delegate Brian Moran, and Governor Tim Kaine.

As was evident by the size of the crowd, Andy is running a great campaign and Democrats (as well as many Independents and Republicans as well) in the 11th Congressional District are excited to have a strong candidate that they can get behind. In addition to attending the fundraiser on Saturday, many members in the audience have made the effort to attend as many rallies, canvasses, and fundraisers as possible. For that reason, I wasnGÇÖt surprised to see that not only was there a good turnout, but everyone appeared to be geared up to help make sure their fellow Democrats take the time to vote on November 7.
Anyone who has attended a fundraiser before knows that they are a good chance for Democrats to get together and catch up with one another as well as getting the chance to talk with Andy (although Andy is frequently making an effort to listen to what his future constituents have to say anyways.) At this event, however, I happened to be talking to Andy as a couple came up to say goodbye to him. As the conservation continued, they began to discuss how Virginia is gradually becoming more of a moderate Commonwealth (which was also mentioned in all three speeches) and how that motivated them to continue being involved with Democratic politics. The woman then proceeded to mention how she had observed that in addition to AndyGÇÖs campaign receiving the benefit of the current frustration with the Republican leadership and change in VirginiaGÇÖs political climate, the campaign volunteers and staff members were extremely welcoming when she had attended a phone banking session. Because she had taken the time to deliberately mention this to Andy, it really goes to show that Andy has the capability to surround himself with well minded people who are dedicated to the task at hand. I imagine that has helped in his career as a partner in a prestigious law firm and will also allow him to form a legislative staff that will assist him and his fellow lawmakers in forming the much needed policy reforms. In addition to the atmosphere created by the type of energetic supporters that the woman spoke of, there were three speakers at the event.

Delegate Brian Moran (D-46) was the first to go. (Yes, his brother is Congressman Jim Moran, Va-10.) He had already been supporting fellow Democrats at rallies earlier in the day and, therefore, had several lapels on his suitGÇÖs jacket. The multiple lapels simply displayed how dedicated Moran is to ensuring that VirginiaGÇÖs Democratic Party continues to make significant gains on both the local and Federal levels. In fact, both Andy and Gov. Kaine would later praise the delegate for all of the efforts heGÇÖs made during the campaign season and as the leader of the House Democratic caucus down in Richmond. Before turning the stage over to Andy Hurst, Moran spoke about how the atmosphere in Virginia is looking good for Democrats because more and more people are realizing that the Government is heading in the wrong direction. It is candidates like Andy Hurst, he continued, that will make sure that Congress will once again represent the best interests of the voters.

As Andy began his speech in his typical fashion, he thanked everyone for coming out. He especially pointed out all of the hard work that Liz and TC Mullany had contributed to the campaign. Although many politicians begin speeches in a similar fashion, I have always gained the impression that Andy is sincere about it when he does so. For instance, he individually thanked almost every person that came out to march with him at the Centreville Day Parade a few weeks ago. He then continued by conveying the type of Democratic candidates Virginians were electing by telling the audience a story about a rally he attended in support of Tim Kaine last year. As the event was drawing to a close, the two eldest Hurst children were apparently out on the dance floor dancing to James BrownGÇÖs GÇ£I Feel Good.GÇ¥ GÇ£And you know their dancing with?GÇ¥ Andy continued, GÇ£Governor Kaine.GÇ¥ As friendly and outgoing and Governor Kaine appeared to be at this rally, I could easily picture that scene happening. It is that type of character, which is also shared by Andy Hurst, which will allow Virginians to trust that Governor Kaine and future Congressman Andy Hurst will work to ensure that the Government is held accountable for its actions.

After Andy finished his speech, it was Governor KaineGÇÖs turn. The Governor began his speech by stating that when Governor Warner won in 2001, there had been 14 statewide races since Doug wilder had been elected. In that time span, only one Democrat had won more than 50% of the vote. That obviously resulted in people believing that Virginia was turning into a Republican stronghold that was extremely unfriendly to Democrats. When Gov. Warner won in 2001, there were still some Republicans who believed that WarnerGÇÖs victory was a direct result of the amount of financing he received and, therefore, didnGÇÖt accurately reflected the sentiment of VirginiaGÇÖs voters. As more and more Democratic candidates began being elected, however, members of both parties were forced to admit that Virginia wasnGÇÖt necessarily a Republican stronghold.

Governor Kaine continued by stating that both Andy and he are Democrats who arenGÇÖt afraid of doing the work that is needed in order to ensure that the Government does what is best for the voters GÇô not special interest groups. It is that type of attitude, coupled with the extremely efficient leadership of the Warner administration, which has played a significant role in why Democratic candidates are becoming appealing to Virginians. Governor Kaine also argued that another reason that Democrats are doing better is because there are a significant number of people coming to Virginia from throughout the world. This new influx of diversity has resulted in Democrats doing well in areas outside of the traditional Democratic strongholds.

All in all, the message that all three speakers presented was that the Democratic Party of Virginia should look forward to the results of this and future elections. Not only because of the general trends in voting results, but because Democrats have displayed their ability to nominate candidates like Andy Hurst, Judy Feder, and Gov. Kaine. These candidates have shown that Republicans can be given a run for their money as a result of Democratic ideas being well received by Virginians. That message, which was clearly displayed by the large turnout, was warmly received by the people in attendance and there should be no doubt that Tom Davis still has work to do if he wants to be reelected come November 7.

PS
You can view some of what Tim Kaine had to say here and here. More photos will also be coming soon.

Update: Photos from the event can now be viewed by following this link.

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