"Economic Choices 2008"-Battleground Virginia
Thursday, October 23, 2008SUSIE GHARIB: Virginia will be one of the closely watched races in this year's presidential election with McCain and Obama both courting suburban voters. The economy, government spending and taxes are key issues in the state and with the economy new on shaky ground, voters there could play a key rose in next month's presidential election. Washington bureau chief Darren Gersh, wraps up our look at the battleground states with the economic choices Virginia voters will make in 12 days.
DARREN GERSH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: In 2004, Occoquan, Virginia was Bush country. The president carried this area of northern Virginia by close to 20 percentage points. Now polls show John McCain is down here, but not out. Just ask shop owner Laverne Carson, what she thinks about Obama and it's clear the race for Virginia is far from over.
LAVERNE CARSON, MCCAIN SUPPORTER: I want somebody who's not going to be spending us into oblivion. And I think he's -- with the things he's come out with, he's going to take from the rich and give to the poor. We're going to be one mushy mess when it's done. We won't have any rich and the poor will still be poor.
GERSH: Down the walk along Occoquan's old town, Kendall Jackson believes Obama will be better for the economy. She's also a business owner, but she's not worried about paying more in taxes.
KENDALL JACKSON, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I'm a store owner. When you talk about the small business and being taxed more heavily, I don't have to worry about that because we as a small business fall way below the $250,000 threshold. I just think also the way in which Barack was raised and his family and his values, he's seen hard work. And he's worked hard for what he has. I think he's more in touch.
GERSH: Occoquan sits in the heart of Prince William County, a far Washington suburb that both the Obama and McCain campaigns consider critical to winning in Virginia. And just as we've seen in our reports from Pennsylvania and New Mexico this week, the issue that's likely to tip the election here is the economy. And on the economy, the news here is mixed. In September, the unemployment rate in Virginia was 4.3 percent, much lower than the national average. That may explain Arlene Chaves's reaction when you ask her about the economy.
ARLENE CHAVES, MCCAIN SUPPORTER: It's a strange question. Just yesterday, my daughter called me and she was out shopping and she said, recession? What are people talking about? The stores are crowded.
GERSH: Government spending helps power the region. The Pentagon is not far from here and many military families have also settled here. That is a double benefit for John McCain. It helps explain why many Virginians like Chaves think experience matters.
CHAVES: It's kind of like 1960 when everyone was concerned that John F. Kennedy was too young and too inexperienced. Why not go with Lyndon Johnson as the presidential candidate? And I look at it kind of that way, that maybe Obama could stand a little more experience.
GERSH: The experience in the local housing market is grim. Prices are down 40 percent over the last year. A few shops on this street have shut down in the last few months. And Daniel Prophet is struggling to keep his business on track.
DANIEL PROPHET, UNDECIDED VOTER: I can't borrow money. If I wanted to borrow, I've got equity and I can't borrow money even though I have equity and they wouldn't lend me more. And that's a bad situation.
GERSH: Prophet is a Republican but when we talked to him, he was wavering.
PROPHET: (INAUDIBLE) Change, Change, what change? We need to know what the change is and that's very important.
GERSH: And we'll soon find out what that change will be in Virginia and the rest of the nation. A presidential campaign that lasted longer than any other will end in just 12 days. Darren Gersh, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Occoquan, Virginia.
