Excellent statement by Terry McAuliffe "welcoming" Bob McDonnell into the race for governor. Go Terry!"I want to congratulate Bob McDonnell on formally becoming the Republican nominee today. If I have the honor of becoming the Democratic nominee, I look forward to talking about the differences in our records - I am the only candidate for governor with experience creating thousands of jobs, the only one who hasn't been mired in the partisan bickering in Richmond, and the only one who will bring the same executive style leadership that Governors Warner and Kaine brought to the office.
"I'm proud of my experience and my record, but this weekend, Bob McDonnell, surrounded by Mitt Romney, Sean Hannity, and other Republicans has tried to reinvent his. They've all tried to hide his long divisive ideological record, and portray him as someone who now is a moderate.
"What they didn't tell Virginians is that Bob McDonnell has a partisan, right wing agenda. Whether it was his vote against Mark Warner's budget reform, his efforts to stymie Tim Kaine's transportation reform, or his opposition to accepting $125 million of Virginians' federal tax dollars that would have helped thousands of Virginia families, Bob McDonnell has shown that he is more interested in playing partisan political games than getting things done for Virginia.
"In the fall there is a clear choice: a governor who is in line with the progressive agendas of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. Or someone who will turn back the gains made over the past eight years and take Virginia back to the Gilmore era.
"This election is too important. We have to think about what direction we want our commonwealth to take. President Obama has laid out a bold and progressive agenda for a brighter tomorrow, and we have to give him a partner in Virginia."
