Virginia’s primary will likely matter; we’re already seeing the signs

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: January 31, 2008

Get ready for the political tsunami that is about to hit Virginia. Super Tuesday is Feb. 5th and one week later voters in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC will vote. It’s being dubbed the Chesapeake Primary. And already we’re seeing signs of just how important our primary could be. Here’s what I’ve already observed:

- It’s endorsement central these days. Today alone Obama is picking a handful of state legislators. McCain is doing the same thing and he’s also picking a fairly big nod from former Attorney General and 2005 gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore. Kilgore initially endorsed Rudy Guiliani, but is now shifting over to McCain after Guiliani’s disappointing performance in the early contests.
- Obama supporters are holding a rally in Roanoke tonight. Organizers are hoping for more than 100 people to attend.
- The Obama campaign is organizing debate watching parties for tonight’s CNN debate. They’re holding them across the Commonwealth.
- Democrats will hold their annual Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner on Feb. 9th and they are holding out hope that both Sens. Clinton and Obama will be there.

Two things stand out in that list. First, there isn’t a great deal of activity on the Republican side. That is in part because the Republican race could be decided by the 20 or so states voting on Feb. 5th. Additionally, the Republican candidates tend to be more cash-strapped than the Democratic frontrunners. That means they have to be more judicious with how they spend their money.

On the Democratic side, you’ll notice that the Obama team appears to be more organized and focused on Virginia. He got the early endorsement of Gov. Tim Kaine and more recently has picked up the endorsements of Reps. Bobby Scott and Rick Boucher. The Obama team appears ready for a fight in the Old Dominion.

Finally, keep in mind, all of this activity is happening before the candidates really turn their focus and attention on Virginia. In other words, expect the intensity (especially on the Democratic side) to only increase in the coming days.