Gubernatorial Is One Thing Terry McAuliffe Isn't

He has lived in McLean for a couple of decades. (Though the last time his name was bandied about by the Great Mentioner, the talk was about him running for the Senate from Florida, where he's done a lot of his real estate investing over the years -- deals that he'll have to be more forthcoming about over the course of a campaign.)

Already, McAuliffe is boning up on the back roads and back stories of Virginia. That process began over the past few months, as he crisscrossed the state, campaigning for Barack Obama and congressional candidates.

McAuliffe's opponents in the June Democratic primary, Del. Brian Moran of Alexandria and state Sen. Creigh Deeds of Bath County, portray their deep-pocketed rival as someone who just doesn't know Virginia that well. McAuliffe will return the favor by painting his opposition as nice little legislators who are too embedded in the Richmond culture to see the big picture (it's the Virginia version of that campaign oldie but goodie, running against Washington).

And Elleithee says his man is the only Democrat who has the stature, breadth and resources to stand up against McDonnell, who is "the strongest statewide candidate the Republicans have put up since George Allen in 2000."

While the rest of the country suffers from political withdrawal pangs or celebrates freedom from candidates' TV ads, Virginia's campaign never ends; the '09 election season is in full bloom.

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