Don Beyer, former lieutenant governor of Virginia and Democratic nominee for governor, took time out from touring the Pepsi Arena in Denver to answer five questions about the state of play in the Commonwealth.
You've had a front row seat for the changes in Virginia since you ran and lost a decade ago. How different are things today?
It's much different, and it's much better from a moderate-progressive perspective. It's driven by a variety of things. Maybe the biggest is the growth of Northern Virginia, which is clearly a centerpiece of sensible government. It's also driven by some terrible governance by Republican governors. George Allen and Jim Gilmore -- especially Jim Gilmore -- did just everything wrong. They alienated the voters, wrecked the budget, jeopardized our triple-A bond rating, spent no effort on growing the state economically, neglected education, neglected highways. So they set it up perfectly for a savior like Mark Warner to show up. And Tim Kaine, as an heir to the Warner-Kaine administration, has turned out to be a star in his own right.
Tell me about how different the state of the state party is today compared to back when you ran.
It was a bit dismal 10 years ago. So what we have now is we have a lot of great people who would have never thought about running for office raising their hands. They know it wouldn't be a fool's errand to serve with people like Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Jim Webb. And so we end up with a great field of candidates. We were on a decline from 1972 all the way until 2001, where every cycle we lost House seats, lost Senate seats, lost congressional seats, often getting blown out. And Mark really turned it around.
Warner also persuaded some Republicans that you get what you pay for in terms of investment of the state, right? It seems there's no longer a drown-it-in-bathtub, Grover Norquist-style approach to politics.
Absolutely. Virginia has always had a lean government to begin with, but Virginians also realize that good government improves our lives. So there is a sense that government can work if it's sensibly run. We have a remarkable system of government where the governor makes 4,000 appointments to various boards and commissions. Some of these citizens make $50 a day or less to help run the state.
Virginia had three candidates discussed as possible vice-presidential candidates, but none of them -- Warner, Kaine, or Jim Webb -- got it. Were you disappointed a home-state guy didn't get it?
I was hoping, because I feel that Virginia is so ready to tip. Lyndon Johnson is the only Democrat to win Virginia in my lifetime. I hate to say this, but there are so many people who have never known the state to pick a Democrat. Obviously, if those 26 electoral votes [net] flip, Al Gore wins and it would have come very close for John Kerry. It’s a big deal. Mark Warner? Phenomenally popular; it’s hard to imagine an Obama-Warner ticket not winning [the state]. Obama-Kaine would come close. Obama-Webb, less clear, but Jim Webb is a great story with national reverberations. Even though it’s not happening, it’s still great. [Warner]’s got a 30-point lead [in his Senate race], and Jim’s gonna speak Thursday. All of us are excited about Joe Biden. And when Tim Kaine is done in 2009, Obama is still going to be president, and he can have a future in national government if he wants it.
OK, I want your prediction for Election Day in Virginia between John McCain and Obama, including the margin.
Obama wins 53 to 47 percent. And I say that not just based on the tightness of the polls now, but because we have never had the mass field effort that Obama has now -- way more than 100 paid staff, 30 field offices. It is greater than four years ago by orders of magnitude. There is an enthusiasm gap that John McCain can’t possibly match.
--Tom Schaller
Previous Party People Q&As:
Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party Chair
David Cicilline, Mayor of Providence
Nancy Ruth White, Clinton Delegate
Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL
