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Grits

June 19, 2009 —

Virginia: Governor’s race leaning Democratic?

In the Virginia governor’s race, a Rasmussen survey taken June 10, the day after state Sen. Creigh Deeds’ unexpectedly large Democratic victory, showed him with 47% to Republican former Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell’s 41%. In April, before Deeds won the primary, McDonnell led the Democratic state senator 45% to 30%. Although Election Day is five months away, several other numbers in the Rasmussen Poll suggest that the election is tilting toward Deeds. Despite a hard-fought primary, Democratic voters are more united behind Deeds than Republicans are behind McDonnell. Deeds had 89% of Democrats, McDonnell had 78% of GOPers. In addition, 42% of respondents believed Deeds will win to 34% who pick McDonnell. And Virginia voters are pleased with the Democrat now running the state: 62% approve of the performance of Gov. Tim Kaine (D), to 35% who disapprove. Finally, President Obama, despite some unpopular facets of his administration, may not be a major drag on Deeds: 52% approve of the President, to 46% who disapprove.

Georgia: Oxendine (R), Barnes (D) ahead in survey

A recent statewide poll by Strategic Vision for the 2010 governor’s race showed that among Republicans state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine led with 35%, followed by Secretary of State Karen Handel’s 13%, Congressman Nathan Deal’s 12%, state Sen. Eric Johnson 4%, Stars and Bars advocate Ray McBerry 2% and state Rep. Austin Scott 2%, with 9% undecided. Outgoing Gov. Sonny Perdue (R), who is term-limited, had a job approval rating of 53% positive, 36% negative. On the Democratic side, former Gov. Roy Barnes, who was defeated for re-election by Perdue in 2002, led with 49%; Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, an African American, was second with 30%; former Labor Commissioner and former Secretary of State David Poythress had 5% and House Minority Leader Dubose Porter had 2%, with 14% undecided. The gubernatorial primaries are in July 2010.

Alabama: Moore in governor’s race

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has announced that he will enter the 2010 race for governor as a Republican. Moore was removed from his judicial post in 2003 for refusing to obey a federal court order that he remove a two-and-a-half ton monument to the Ten Commandments, which he had installed in the state supreme court lobby. He has begun raising money, both in Alabama and among his numerous sympathizers across the country. One high-profile out-of-state endorsement has already come his way, from actor Chuck Norris, who said, “Roy Moore’s awesome autobiographical manifesto ‘So Help Me God!’ is a must read for any patriot.” Moore’s main competition in the primary will probably come from former educator Bradley Byrne, who is likely to have the support of term-limited Gov. Bob Riley (R), though other GOPers will also be running. The leading Democratic contender, at this point, is US Rep. Artur Davis.

Mississippi: Flowers won’t run for Congress

In Mississippi’s 1^st District (Tupelo, etc.), state Sen. Merle Flowers (R) announced on June 18 that “for the peace and purity of the Republican Party,” he will not run for the Republican nomination to challenge US Rep. Travis Childers (D) in 2010, reported the Desoto Times Union. Flowers, who hails from the suburban Memphis part of the district, said that his “good friend,” state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R) would be a candidate for the GOP congressional nod. Nunnelee is from Tupelo, the district’s other population center. Had both Flowers and Nunnelee run, they could have created a repeat of the geographically polarizing, hotly contested primary in 2008, which some observers believe allowed Democrat Childers to win in this normally Republican district.