Surprise Wash Post Endorsement Scrambles Virginia Governor's Race

We're about to find out if newspapers have any clout left. The Washington Post editorial board today endorsed Creigh Deeds, a veteran Charlottesville-area state senator, in the Democratic primary for governor of Virginia.

Polls of the race show the leading candidate is Terry McAuliffe, a celebrity wild card who chaired the Democratic National Committee for four years and last year chaired Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The third candidate is another legislative veteran -- Brian Moran, former Democratic leader of the House of Delegates and brother of congressman Jim Moran.

What makes the endorsement so interesting is that the Post circulates in suburban Northern Virginia, home to McAuliffe, Moran and the most voters in the state. As the paper notes, Deeds' district is closer to West Virginia than to Fairfax.

"In 18 years in the General Assembly, Mr. Deeds has time and again supported measures that might be unpopular with his rural constituency but that are the right thing to do, for Northern Virginia and the state as a whole. He has demonstrated an understanding of the problems that matter most, the commitment to solve them and the capacity to get things done. Mr. Deeds may not be the obvious choice in the June 9 primary, but he's the right one," the Post writes.

McAuliffe, a party fundraiser for the last 30 years, has topped his opponents in fundraising as well as polls. He was at 36 percent in a Research 2000 poll released yesterday by the Daily Kos website, followed by Moran at 22 percent and Deeds at 13 percent. A day earlier, Survey USA found Deeds making gains and in second place.

Deeds is the only one of the three Democrats who has run statewide. He lost the 2005 attorney general race to Bob McDonnell, the expected Republican nominee for governor, by 323 votes.

At his Not Larry Sabato blog, Ben Tribbett says that the Post endorsement could lead to the collapse of Moran and a McAuliffe-Deeds horserace. Stay tuned.