Nat'l Dem Establishment Rallies To McAuliffe's Aid

ARLINGTON -- Two high profile nat'l Dems - the chairs of the DGA and NGA - inserted themselves into VA GOV today to help push ex-DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe (D), mired in an unexpectedly tight primary contest, over the line when voters cast ballots 6/9.

McAuliffe, despite his financial advantage and nat'l profile, is locked in a competitive three-way contest, and recent polls show him trailing state Sen. Creigh Deeds, the quiet Bath Co. politician who appears to have gotten a boost from the WaPo's recent endorsement of his bid.

MT Gov. Brian Schweitzer, chair of the DGA, joined McAuliffe at a Corner Bakery in Arlington this a.m. to offer his support to his friend, a move that both conveys the Dem establishment's seal of approval while also underscoring, for better or worse, that McAuliffe is a nat'l figure with few ties to Richmond or Commonwealth politics.

"The other two guys are good guys," Schweitzer said, referring to Deeds and Brian Moran, who served for 13 years in the VA House of Delegates. "They're in the legislature. No one's campaigning against anyone. And if you decide you're going to vote for one of the other guys, show up on Thursday."

With a steady rain beating against the awning outside the front door of the Corner Bakery, Schweitzer said he turned out for McAuliffe for personal reasons, not in his capacity as head of the DGA. But the campaign also announced today that PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D), who chairs the NGA, is backing McAuliffe.

"To have Governor Schweitzer here also as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association shows how important this election is," McAuliffe said, noting that the RGA and RNC have already sunk $4M into ex-AG Bob McDonnell's (R) effort.

McAuliffe, talking to a gaggle of local media and with a dozen or so voters holding campaign signs over his shoulder, cast the two endorsements as "validators to say Terry McAuliffe can create jobs. We know what it is to be a governor."

Schweitzer, in jeans and a blue blazer and sans his trademark bolo tie, said McAuliffe's business background distinguishes him from Deeds and Moran. He shrugged off a question about the message he's sending to VA voters about the rest of the field, should McAuliffe not emerge the victor next week.

"We've got three great candidates," Schweitzer said. "Terry's a friend of mine. He's a businessman like myself. We've got two other good candidates in the Democratic primary. I'm going to be in here helping them. Virginia doesn't want to go in reverse. But I'm going to tell you something about Terry McAuliffe -- ain't nobody going to outwork Terry McAuliffe. He is gonna work harder than anybody else. And he's a great candidate. He'll be a great governor."

McAuliffe promised that an unrivaled ground game will give him the advantage in the waning days of the contest - "the largest grassroots mobilization we have seen in a Virginia governor's race," he said. He suggested his campaign will make 1M phone calls to voters and knock on 85K doors. He said, too, that he has 5,800 volunteers on the ground. And invoking typical McAuliffe hyperbole, he noted that they're standing five deep at his campaign offices to make phone calls.

Inside the bakery, though, where a smattering of Virginians worked on laptops and downed coffees, it seemed unclear what sway Schweitzer would have with voters.

"Nobody knows him," said Doje Beyene, a Fairfax resident who works in commercial lending. She and colleague, Dee Long, said they didn't recognize McAuliffe either - though he has aired more than a half a dozen TV ads.

Long, who lives in Loudon Co., said of Schweitzer, "I don't know if it'll necessarily have an impact."

Long wasn't planning to vote in the primary. An independent, she said she'd examine McAuliffe's Web site, though, to check him out in advance of the contest.

With a coffee in hand, McAuliffe made the rounds. Meanwhile, the manager of the shop complained that the campaign hadn't notified them in advance that they'd be stopping in. The collection of folks gathered for the press conference blocked his front door.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)