McAuliffe Ready to Debate McDonnell for VA Governor

Former Dem fundraiser says state can't afford former AG

Virginia Republican Bob McDonnell kicked off his "New Jobs, More Opportunities" campaign for governor Saturday morning, and soon got an earful from former Democratic fundraiser and gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe.

In response to McDonnell's rally speech saying that he wants "put ideology aside"  and bring people together to solve problems, McAuliffe said in a press release that "Bob McDonnell has a long record of standing against Governor Mark Warner and Governor Tim Kaine. . . [and] while Terry McAuliffe has been laying out a comprehensive business plan to get Virginia's economy back on track, Bob McDonnell has been deafeningly silent."

During his speech at the Annandale Firehouse, McDonnell said his campaign is for "every Virginian who has lost their job, every small business owner trying to make payroll, every retiree afraid to look at their retirement account, every homeowner struggling to make the next mortgage payment, [and] every parent writing that next tuition check."

McAuliffe, however, claimed that Virginia "simply cannot afford a governor like Bob McDonnell, who would take us back to the Gilmore-era approach to managing Virginia's economy."

If he makes it as the Democractic nominee, McAuliffe added that he's looking forward to "a spirited debate" with the 44th Virginia state attorney general.

Maybe Hillary's former campaign chairman should wait until he's got the nomination.  With Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) having raised an estimated $250,000 for McDonnell this past week and former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) set to join McDonnell on the campaign trail this coming week, McAuliffe's got his work cut out for him.

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