State Sen. Routs Clinton Pal McAuliffe in Virginia

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.

Both McAuliffe and Moran have strong ties to politically powerful Northern Virginia, and they both outspent Deeds in the race. Still, he got about half the votes and they generally split the rest. Deeds has moderate to conservative views on a range of issues, along with a folksy style that appealed to voters, notes Amy Gardner of the Post.