Virginia: McDonnell guilty verdict rocks Old Dominion. Last week’s guilty verdicts for former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his wife Maureen on corruption charges mark the first time that a governor of this ultra-proud state has been convicted of a felony. It also obscures that McDonnell “ranks among Virginia’s consequential governors,” editorialized the Richmond Times-Dispatch, citing his transportation legislation, education reforms and acting to make it easier for non-violent felons to restore their voting rights.
Texas: Davis reveals two abortions. State Sen. Wendy Davis, the Democratic nominee for governor, disclosed last week that she had undergone two abortions. One was when doctors discovered that the fetus had a brain defect; the other when Davis had an ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo develops outside of the uterus, endangering the lives of both the fetus and the mother. It is not clear what effect these revelations will have on the gubernatorial race. Davis, who trails Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R), was catapulted to political stardom when she conducted an eleven-hour filibuster against an anti-abortion bill.
Oklahoma: Fallin ahead, but … Gov. Mary Fallin (R) gets 50.3%, her Democratic challenger Joe Dorman 32.1%, in the latest News 9/News on 6 Sooner Poll. While an 18-point lead looks good, an incumbent governor with a relatively unknown opponent should be running stronger at this point. Stay tuned.