The scope of Creigh Deeds' defeat by Bob McDonnell tonight is huge, and I'm sure it will be analyzed from many different angles. For now, I just wanted to compare Tim Kaine's performance in solid "blue" areas 4 years ago to Creigh Deeds tonight. Check this out:Kaine won Fairfax County by 60,000 votes. Deeds is currently leading McDonnell by just 1,000 votes in Fairfax County w/41% of precincts reporting. HUGE dropoff.
Kaine won Arlington by 29,000 votes. Deeds won Arlington by 16,000 votes. Another HUGE dropoff.
Kaine won Alexandria City by 16,000 votes. Deeds won it by 7,000 votes. Yet another HUGE dropoff in strong blue territory.
Kaine won Richmond City by 27,000 votes. Deeds won it by about 13,000 votes. Yet another big dropoff.
Kaine won Norfolk by 15,000 votes. Deeds currently leading by only 6,000 votes with 61% of precincts reporting.
Kaine won Newport News by nearly 7,000 votes. Deeds is basically tied with McDonnell there.
Kaine won Charlottesville by about 6,100 votes. Deeds is winning it by about 4,500 votes, despite it being in the mythical land called "Deeds Country."
Kaine won Albemarle County by 7,500 votes. Deeds is actually losing it by a few hundred votes. Debacle.
Kaine won Roanoke City by 6,000 votes. Deeds is trailing McDonnell slightly in Roanoke City.
In short, in "blue" area after "blue" area, Creigh Deeds wildly underperformed Tim Kaine. Just in the jurisdictions listed above, we're talking about a dropoff from 2005 of about 120,000 votes. To put this number in context, Deeds currently (with 87% of precincts reporting) is trailing McDonnell by about 330,000 votes. Amazing, a ticket of conservative Democrats didn't get the Democratic "base" fired up. My god, how on earth could that have happened?!? (snark)
