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Deeds claims victory
In an unpredicted upset, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds claimed his party's nomination for Virginia governor, defeating former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe and former state Del. Brian Moran.
Deeds won Virginia with nearly 50 percent of the vote and took Prince William with 43 percent.
Deeds won despite being the financial underdog in the race – he raised only $2.8 million to McAuliffe's $6.94 million and Moran's $3.8 million.
“Wow. You and I sure surprised a lot of people tonight,” Deeds wrote in a released statement June 9. “Tomorrow starts a new campaign with lots of work. It is going to be a tough fight with a tough opponent. But that's all for tomorrow.”
Joining the Democratic ticket for Virginia's highest elected offices are lieutenant governor candidate Jody Wagner, who captured about 74 percent of the vote, and attorney general candidate Steve Shannon, who ran unopposed for his party's nod.
At the Ellis Precinct in Manassas, right next door to Stonewall Jackson High School, Beth Johnson said transportation was her No. 1 issue.
"I would like to see someone put in some sort of tax" dedicated to improving Northern Virginia roads, she said.
Johnson added that she had a "fear we're going to become the State of Northern Virginia" where the motto is "sit and wait."
She was previously undecided between Deeds and Moran but ultimately opted for Moran because she disagreed with Deeds' vote to allow handguns in school parking lots.
Moran, however, "is committed to working for Northern Virginia," she said.
Manassas resident Carrol Cutler said at Ellis that transportation and job security were the issues most important to her.
"We need to get the Metro out further in all directions," she said, adding that she supports more road-widening.
Cutler declined to say who she supported at the ballot box, mentioning instead she would like the state government to provide "some sort of safety net for people" who lose their jobs.
Over at Victory precinct in Bristow, a male voter who requested anonymity said he supported Deeds for governor after having backed the state senator from Bath County in the 2005 attorney general race against eventual winner McDonnell.
As for why he voted for Deeds this time, the man replied, "I'm not sure." He added that he just liked his general views and took recommendations from friends in supporting him.
Deeds won Manassas with 47 percent of the vote, followed by McAuliffe with 36 percent and Moran with 17 percent. In Prince William, the vote wasn't far off the statewide results: Deeds took the county with 43 percent, compared to McAuliffe's 32 percent and Moran's 25 percent.
The results were similar in Manassas Park: Deeds took 44 percent, McAuliffe 35 percent and Moran 20 percent.
Compared with the 2008 Democratic primary between presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, polls were empty, campaign workers said.
Turnout was low all around, about 4 percent in Manassas and Prince William County and only 2 percent in Manassas Park.
Turnout at the Ellis Precinct was "very low," according to election officer George Whitfield. By 2:52 p.m., he had counted 34 voters.
"So it makes for a long and boring day," he said.
Victory chief election officer Rosanna West reported just after 3 p.m. that there had been a steady trickle of people coming in to vote throughout the day. At the time, 68 voters had cast ballots.
"We had three come in at once," said assistant chief Laura Sirstins of the highest number of voters present at any point in time.
Voter turnout June 9 was similar to previous years' turnout for similar races.
In the June 2005 Democratic primary, only 1 percent of registered voters participated. During this race, Gov. Tim Kaine ran unopposed for his party's nomination. During that same election, however, 4.6 percent of registered voters in the state voted in the Republican primary, which had two candidates.
Deeds will face Republican former state Attorney General Bob McDonnell in the fall election.
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