Deeds in hurry on campaign trail, gets ticket

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds is putting the pedal to the metal these days to secure victory in November - and after receiving his second driving citation in three months, it appears that isn’t just a metaphor.

The state senator from Bath County was ticketed on July 4 in Albemarle County for driving 76 mph in a 65 mph zone. The ticket was issued two months after he was cited for following another vehicle too closely, according to Virginia court records.

The candidate doesn’t spend much time behind the wheel, campaign spokesman Jared Leopold said. In fact, Mr. Deeds’ campaign driver ferried him around the state on July 4 to a bevy of events on his public schedule.

“After a long day of campaigning and a day filled with parades, hot dogs and fireworks, Creigh was on his way to see his family,” Mr. Leopold said. “He went a little faster than he should have.”

Mr. Deeds attended Independence Day celebrations starting at 10 a.m. in Woodbridge. He went on to Fairfax, Vienna, Manassas, Culpeper and Charlottesville. According to Mapquest, he traveled about 127 miles in total, which the Web site says would take a little over three hours in a car. He was scheduled to arrive at McIntire Municipal Park in Charlottesville at 7:30 p.m. The trip back to his Millboro home is about 80 miles.

“He very rarely drives except when he has the rare opportunity to get home to Bath County,” Mr. Leopold said.

Charlottesville is located in Albemarle County, where the speeding ticket was issued. A court date is set for Aug. 25.

Hours before he was pulled over, the inveterate tweeter said on his Twitter feed that he “raced to Fairfax for tail end of parade. [Two] cookouts later, we’re headed to Vienna.”

Asked whether Mr. Deeds’ campaign staff had advised him not to drive, Mr. Leopold said, “No, we have not.”

According to court records, Mr. Deeds had a clean driving record before an incident on Mother’s Day weekend.

Mr. Deeds was ticketed on May 9 after he rear-ended another vehicle in Louisa County. Two people went to the hospital as a precaution. In that case, Mr. Deeds was returning home to Bath County to celebrate Mother’s Day with his family. He paid the $30 fine and $61 court costs on July 6.

Last August, Mr. Deeds hit a bear lumbering across a country road near his home.

Mr. Deeds’ Republican opponent, Robert F. McDonnell, no longer drives himself, spokesman J. Tucker Martin said. Instead, a campaign aide gets behind the wheel so the candidate - who has a clean driving record, according to Virginia court records - can concentrate on telephone calls.

“I think just about everyone has gotten a speeding ticket before. It’s not fun. But remember, Bob McDonnell is calling for raising the speed limit to 70 miles per hour on certain interstate stretches. Maybe we just got Creigh’s vote,” Mr. Martin said.