McAuliffe Eyes Run for Va. Statehouse

(NEWSER) - The country lawyer has trumped his better-known foes in Virginia's Democratic primary for governor, reports the Washington Post. State Sen. Creigh Deeds easily defeated former Clinton insider Terry McAuliffe and former legislative colleague Brian Moran. Deeds will now face Republican Robert F. McDonnell, a conservative with ties to Pat Robertson, in the general election. McDonnell beat him by a hair in the 2005 race for attorney general. More»

(NEWSER) - Democrats head to the polls today in Virginia for a surprisingly tight gubernatorial primary, Politico reports. Last-minute polls show Creigh Deeds surging ahead of Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran. If he pulls out the win, it’ll be a major upset—McAuliffe, the former DNC chair, had been expected to win handily—but with turnout expected to be tiny, it’s anyone’s game. More»

He's leading Dem race for governor with new zeal for solid waste

(NEWSER) - For Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic party chief turned Virginia gubernatorial candidate, the way to Old Dominion’s heart runs through trash. “I love trash," he tells Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. "I love chicken litter, cow manure, garbage. This is the kind of thing that gets me excited.” Apparently, this is how a slick transplant from New York reinvents himself for Virginia. More»

Former DNC chair's charm, huge rolodex, could upend race

(NEWSER) - Terry McAuliffe is planning a run for governor of Virginia, and, given the Democrat's formidable rep as a fundraiser, he’s looking like a major factor, reports the Washington Post. Virginia has little campaign finance regulation, meaning that McAuliffe, with his national network of deep-pocketed friends and his skill at charming new supporters, could raise as much as $80 million. “I think the sky is the limit,” says a former federal elections commissioner. More»

Ta-Nehisi Coates isn't joining in on the criticism

(NEWSER) - Ta-Nehisi Coates doesn’t want to fight with conservatives over race all the time. “I want so bad to take up skiing,” he writes, “to drive across Montana and think of nothing of being the only black person for miles.” That’s why he’s giving Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell credit for apologizing over the omission of slavery in the declaration of Confederate History Month. McDonnell “must have known that his actions would be reported as a ‘surrender,’” but he did it anyway. More»