Moran takes ‘path to victory’ in N. Va.

As his state party’s go-to guy in the House of Delegates, Brian J. Moran - deal maker, negotiator and recruiter - seemed an obvious choice for the governor’s spot on the Democratic ticket.

That is, until the national party’s go-to guy stepped in last year and changed the dynamics of a statewide primary that had been a two-way battle between long-serving local officials from different parts of the state.

With just days until the June 9 primary, Mr. Moran is fighting from the bottom in what has been a back-and-forth race.

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds has surged to 27 percent in a Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday, followed by former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe at 24 percent and Mr. Moran at 22 percent.

Mr. Moran, who led the poll three months ago, dismisses naysayers and the latest polling figures by the nonpartisan firm based in Raleigh, N.C.

“I think I’m doing fine,” he told The Washington Times. “It is a horse race. Despite being outspent, we have a clear path to victory.”

In his favor, poll numbers in the voter-rich area of Northern Virginia show Mr. Moran comfortably ahead of his two competitors. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly of Fairfax, who is not endorsing any candidate for governor, said that fact alone keeps Mr. Moran viable.

“If Brian has the lead in Northern Virginia polls, you absolutely can’t count him out.”

The poll numbers also show Mr. Moran has vaulted over Mr. McAuliffe and is ahead in Richmond after he criticized Mr. McAuliffe in television ads.

“Terry’s unabated claims that he was for this and that and he would do this and that without having any experience or a record of accomplishing things in Virginia needed to be answered,” Mr. Moran said of the ads.

The problem is that, while Mr. Moran picked up support from McAuliffe backers, Mr. Deeds made inroads into Mr. Moran’s Northern Virginia base - a bump that enabled the former long shot to pull ahead statewide.

Asked whether Mr. Deeds was reaping the rewards of Mr. Moran’s attacks on Mr. McAuliffe, Mr. Moran said, “Mr. Deeds may very well have been the beneficiary of that.”

Mr. Moran also counts to his credit endorsements from 30 current and former General Assembly members and the mayors of Richmond, Alexandria, Leesburg, Norfolk and Newport News. He said the support from them means more than that of the celebrities campaigning with Mr. McAuliffe.

“Will.i.am and Bill Clinton are not going to be able to help Terry McAuliffe be an effective governor,” Mr. Moran said, referring to appearances by the hip-hop musician and former president at McAuliffe campaign events. “The mayors of cities all across Virginia are the ones I’m going to have to work with to make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family. And they know I will work with them.”

As for Mr. Deeds, Mr. Moran called him a worthy opponent but pointed to the state senator’s voting record and his 2005 loss in the attorney general race to Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert F. McDonnell.

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