Chuck Caputo?s campaign in Virginia's 67th District, which started only in June, seems to have picked up lots of momentum recently. Caputo?s running against Chris Craddock, a youth minister who works at his father-in-law?s church. Previously, Craddock helped his father in his landscaping business. Craddock handily defeated Republican Delegate Gary Reese in the June Republican primary. Reese, recovering from serious surgery in the spring, never really established a presence in the primary. This week, as noted here, Caputo gained Gary Reese?s endorsement, announced prior to a candidates' debate at Westfields High School. Those in attendance said Reese had a lot of fire in his oratory, and looked very well. It was not a weak endorsement. In his oral comments Reese said that it was important for moderates of both parties to stick together and keep their parties from being highjacked by the extremist wings.
One measure of how the race is going may be in what?s happening to the candidates? websites. After a perfunctory start, Caputo?s has been expanding, as he outlines his issues in detail and adds endorsements, while Craddock is subtracting endorsements. Subtracting endorsements?
The only endorsements Craddock has up right now are from three Virginia's Republican memebers of Congress (Sen. George Allen, Tom Davis, Frank Wolf). Now compare Caputo's:
1) Virginia Education Association
2) Virginia League of Conservation Voters
3) Virginia Professional Fire Fighters and EMT
4) Fairfax Coalition of Police
5) Virginia AFL-CIO
6) Fairfax County Deputy Sheriffs.
Some of these are expected, but the police and fire groups are prizes.
Craddock?s list is smaller than it would have been had he not been subtracting the ones that helped him corner the ultra-right GOP vote in the primary. But those are albatrosses in the general election. In June, Craddock?s website had multiple links to the radio show of Michael Graham, the ex-WMAL talk show host who was fired for making racist comments about Islam. Those links are gone, but vestiges of Graham?s position on the delegates races can be seen at the Virginia Club for Growth website. Ultra-right-wing Sterling Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio remembers the importance of Graham?s support, too.
Craddock?s website once had a front page endorsement from Michael Farris, the ultra-conservative home schooling advocate who runs Patrick Henry College, but he pulled that. He had a link to Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, but pulled that once Norquist?s links to Jack Abramoff were made public (also, after a local letter writer exposed Norquist?s ties to the gambling, alcohol and tobacco industries, asking Craddock how he could mentor youth when he was basking in Norquist?s endorsement and taking money directly from those industries). Craddock even emoved an emblem on top of his page, ?W, still the president" once Bush?s ratings began to plummet. Also gone is the NRA endorsement.
But the big deal may be an item not too many have assessed. Caputo has this on his website: "I am also proud to say that I was ranked the #1 pro-business candidate in the Commonwealth by the Virginia FREE organization." Virginia FREE is a business organization that rates all the candidates. I have some inside information on this. Caputo's score was somewhere in the 80's (scale of 1 to 100), while Craddock's was in the 40's, and, I understand, second from the bottom. Business leaders who subscribe to Virginia FREE (and that?s most of Virginia?s major ones) have a way of shifting votes below the water?s surface.
By the way, on the "Chris Craddock lies" website I spotted an update in the last 24 hours. It lists more Craddock traffic tickets, including two in the last few weeks. See here.
I would note that Not Larry Sabato sees the Reese endorsement as unimportant, and seems to be backing Craddock heavily. So I give credence to NLS?s quote from the day of the June primary: ?I just had a Dem source tell me on the phone that the 67th felt like 75% Craddock at the polls this morning. Craddock is standing at this poll declaring 'Jesus has brought these voters to me.' That is a direct quote, my source had a cell phone and I heard it myself.? A couple questions, NLS. Are you comfortable backing a guy who thinks like George Bush -- "God told me to smite Saddam?" And, do you think Jesus is sending Craddock those speeding tickets?
-- From a contributor