Former President Bill Clinton headlines a gathering of Virginia Democrats this weekend for a top-dollar fundraiser that offers a chance to celebrate the party’s recent electoral dominance while preparing for a high-stakes governor’s race already garnering national attention.
“It’s mostly an opportunity to celebrate and to hear about what’s going to happen in 2009,” said Jared Leopold, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia. “We’re proud of our accomplishments in 2008, but we’ve moved on as well.”
The 2009 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner likely will involve plenty of back-slapping following the November elections. President Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1964. Former Gov. Mark R. Warner easily took over a Senate seat long held by a Republican, and the party reversed the Republicans’ majority among the state’s House delegation.
But two recent Northern Virginia races narrowly won by Democrats — along with the prospect of a bruising intra-party contest for the gubernatorial nomination — show that Democrats can’t afford to rest easy.
Newly anointed Delegate Charniele Herring held off a challenge by Republican Joe Murray by just 16 votes in Democrat-dominated Alexandria, while Sharon S. Bulova claimed the chairmanship of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in a low-turnout race by roughly 1,200 votes over Republican Pat S. Herrity.
Mr. Obama, in contrast, won Fairfax County by more than 109,000 votes.
“I think the Democrats have to be a little concerned that the Republicans might be able to position themselves as the party of change and the Democrats as the establishment party,” said Bob Holsworth, a political analyst who runs the Web site www.virginiatomorrow.com.
What’s more, a Rasmussen Reports survey released this week shows that Attorney General Bob McDonnell — the lone Republican running for governor - holds a three-to-nine-point lead over his three potential Democratic competitors, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, Bath Democrat, former national party chairman Terry McAuliffe and former state delegate Brian J. Moran.
Mr. McDonnell also is viewed in a better light by Virginia voters than all three Democrats. Half of all voters view him favorably compared to 18 percent who view him unfavorably, according to the survey.
“What we’ve got to do is understand that our gains that we have made had more to do with what the Republicans did than what we did, and we’ve got to keep after them because they’re a bruised brand but they will return,” said David “Mudcat” Saunders, a longtime Democratic strategist and former adviser to Mr. Warner and presidential candidate John Edwards. “They always do.”
The three Democratic competitors for governor also have been allotted speaking slots at Saturday’s dinner, but Mr. Clinton’s presence underscores the national importance likely to be placed on the race - one of only two gubernatorial contests next year.
Mr. McDonnell, for example, already has lined up the support of big-name Republicans such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona also will attend a fundraiser for the Republican in McLean on March 25.
Mr. Clinton, meanwhile, is a close friend and associate of Mr. McAuliffe’s, who headed Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign and reportedly joined the former president at a New York City fundraiser last month.
But Mr. Leopold said Mr. Clinton — who failed to win Virginia in two presidential elections — has said he will stick largely to talking about “the general state of the Democratic Party and how it relates to Virginia” while on stage.
“It’s not going to be an endorsement contest,” Mr. Leopold said.
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