Last September, I was interviewed by Marc Fisher in The Washington Post about the U.S Senate election. WAPO printed this quote:
The Democratic brand in Virginia during [Sens.] Mark Warner and Tim Kaine’s years in office has been moderate, centrist, relatively pro-business, inoffensive…
Republicans used to have a great brand, too, with George Allen, John Warner, candidates who appealed to Virginia’s heavily suburban voters.
Later that week, Senator Kaine keynoted the Virginia FREE Leadership Luncheon in Tysons Corner.
If you know our events, the receptions before the lunches are a mosh pit of General Assembly members, local elected officials, business leaders, and election nerds nerdling around in Election Nerd Disneyland (a.k.a Virginia).
Senator Kaine approached me and Bert Dodson Jr - CEO of Dodson Brothers Pest Control (now Virginia FREE’s Vice Chair) saying,
I can’t thank you enough for that quote in the Post! My Democratic colleagues are really jealous.
I replied
Just told the truth.
But Kaine continued…
Sherrod Brown (then US Senator from Ohio) told me on the Senate floor yesterday that he wished that he could get that kind of support in Ohio!
L to R, Dodson, me, and Sen. Kaine
We both laughed but I said something to the effect of stating the truth (again) but also that Ohio could probably use their own Virginia FREE - basically a business group which calls the balls and strikes fairly. Kaine agreed.
It should be shared that whenever Senator Kaine addresses Virginia FREE (thankfully often) I tell the story about my relationship with Senator Kaine and that it goes back to 2002.
We were both elected in 2001, right after 9/11. Kaine become Lt. Governor and I went to the House of Delegates.
On my last day in the House (2009), then Governor Kaine was wishing the retiring members his best with nice memories etc…
I was the last one he approached and the Governor said:
Chris…well…gosh…we…uhhh….we never agreed on anything did we?
No, Governor. We never did.
Like September, we both laughed heartily.
It’s called disagreeing without being disagreeable and that’s why I share the story.
Fast forward to this weekend.
Kaine appeared on CNN Sunday morning show “State of the Union” and gave away the winning recipe for Democrats in Virginia.
Watch this clip at 1:30 for the ingredients:
Plain as day, the former governor and running mate to Hillary! Rodham Clinton boiled it down to:
We focus on the economy. This is what we do in Virginia. I think sometimes national Democrats don’t. We focus on competent government and running the economy in a great way that focuses on innovation and advancing. We have what we call a ‘make, build, grow agenda’.
Economy + competent government = Winning Virginia
That ain’t rocket science. That’s 101 stuff.
Since 1988, Virginia FREE has focused on four pillars of economic strength and stability:
Right to Work
AAA Bond Rating
Education investment
Infrastructure
Having watched closely this year’s General Assembly session, it is fair to say that the Democratic winning recipe over the last quarter century is fading quickly.
Virginia ingredients are being swapped out for national ones. (both sides are doing this BTW)
Now, it is also fair to suggest that since our elections are heavily influenced by national donors, national organizations, and national politics, those ingredients might create a winning political recipe going forward in Virginia.
That’s what elections are for after all.
The ingredients/policies that business relies on to create investment, growth, and workforce opportunities might be in shorter supply here in the Commonwealth in the years to come.
Time will tell.
Senator Kaine noted in his State of the Union appearance that he only knows one state - Virginia - very well.
Business leaders know what works for their businesses, but their voices are not being heard.
In years to come, those policies and opportunities look to be more readily available in other states.
Maybe even Ohio.
Pretenders from 1982:
I went back to Ohio
But my city was gone
There was no train station
There was no downtown
South Howard had disappeared
All my favorite places
My city had been pulled down
Reduced to parking spaces
Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio
Well, I went back to Ohio
But my family was gone
I stood on the back porch
There was nobody home
I was stunned and amazed
My childhood memories
Slowly swirled past
Like the wind through the trees
Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio
I went back to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
Had been paved down the middle
By a government that had no pride
The farms of Ohio
Had been replaced by shopping malls
And Muzak filled the air
From Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls
Said, ay, oh, way to go, Ohio