Va., N.J. Gubernatorial Races May Prove Early Test of Obama Policies

Read the Full Transcript

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  At stake are the governor's offices in New Jersey and Virginia. Will Democrats hold those jobs, and are there national implications either way?

  Gwen Ifill takes a look.

• GWEN IFILL:

  In Virginia, the race for governor features all the usual political suspects, a Democrat, a Republican, and, at a debate last night, disputes over which one can best handle the economy

  BOB MCDONNELL (R), Virginia gubernatorial candidate: We're in a tough economy, the largest — the largest unemployment in decades, Judy, the budget, that $6 billion budget deficit. And, to me, this is the most important issue that is facing us.

• GWEN IFILL:

  Transportation.

  CREIGH DEEDS (D), Virginia gubernatorial candidate: There's no quicker way to create jobs and to create economic activity in every part of Virginia than to fix our transportation situation.

• GWEN IFILL:

  And taxes.

• BOB MCDONNELL:

  One thing they tell me that they can't sustain, though, is more new taxes and more new regulation. And, yet, those are some of the policies that my opponent supports.

• CREIGH DEEDS:

  The boogeyman that he's going to raise every time is taxes. And I have got no plan to raise taxes on farmers.

• GWEN IFILL:

  Similar issues are on the table in New Jersey, home to the nation's only other gubernatorial race this fall. But it is increasingly a three-way race, as incumbent Jon Corzine, a Democrat, battles Republican Chris Christie and independent Christopher Daggett. And this is a race which has gotten particularly personal.

• NARRATOR:

  Christie threw his weight around as U.S. attorney and got off easy.

• NARRATOR:

  Jon Corzine, his negative ads can't hide his failed record.

• GWEN IFILL:

  Polls show Corzine and Christie in a virtual dead-heat. Daggett's support grew after he won the endorsement this week of New Jersey's largest newspaper.

  Corzine's popularity has sagged with the state's economy and a string of corruption scandals unrelated to his campaign. The Virginia and New Jersey races are attracting national attention, in part because President Obama won both states last year.

  But New Jersey has historically been more hospitable to Democrats, siding with them in the last five presidential elections, while, until last year, Virginia has generally leaned toward Republicans.

  Democrat Creigh Deeds is hoping to capitalize on evidence that the once red state has recently trended to shades of purple.

• CREIGH DEEDS:

  We have to decide if we're going to continue to lead with an optimistic, commonsense form, with the mold that's been made by Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, the mold to take us forward, leadership style to take us forward, or whether we're going to go back.

• GWEN IFILL:

  But Republican Bob McDonnell, the state's former attorney general, has consistently been leading in the polls.

• BOB MCDONNELL:

  This race is about who's got the best experience to be able to lead Virginia for the next four years. It's also about who's got the best vision to be able to create jobs and opportunity and prosperity.

• GWEN IFILL:

  The president has campaigned for the Democrats in both states, appearing alongside Corzine in July and Deeds in August. But the Deeds campaign has also tried to distance itself from the president's less popular policies, telling reporters last week, "We had a very tough August because people were just uncomfortable with the spending."

  But, when it comes to political spending, the candidates in both states have gone all in, spending tens of millions of dollars on expensive television advertising.

  For more, we're joined by Amy Walter, editor in chief of The Hotline, National Journal's political daily, and Bob Holsworth, founder and author of the political blog Virginia Tomorrow.

  Thank you both for joining us.

  AMY WALTER, editor-in-chief, The Hotline: Thank you, Gwen.