Richmond Times Dispatch poll has McDonnell up still by double digits.

Further, McDonnell is statistically tied with Deeds among women, a traditional bulwark for Democrats. Deeds has tried to invigorate female voters by spotlighting portions of the thesis in which McDonnell, among other things, criticized working women as a threat to families. McDonnell now disavows such views.

Deeds’ attacks on McDonnell apparently have backfired, with the Democrat’s unfavorable rating, at 42 percent, exceeding his favorable score. McDonnell has a 51 percent favorable rating.

The Times-Dispatch Poll suggests that Deeds might not have been helped by President Barack Obama’s visit to Norfolk a week before the election.

The appearance, which roughly coincided with the poll, was intended to drive up support for Deeds among Obama’s key constituents, including African-Americans. However, the poll shows that black support for Deeds, at 82 percent, is virtually unchanged from early October. Deeds also is slipping in Hampton Roads, site of the Obama visit and McDonnell’s home base.

A bad omen for Creigh is that High Chancellor Barry O himself couldn’t boost the floundering campaign’s numbers. If the numbers ring true at the polls, this is going to be a blowout election.

Gosport Conersative, a contributor to Bearing Drift, recently made a post saying that the Deeds event with Czar Obama is a flop. He posted a picture (below) of how 50-100 McDonnell-ites have outnumbered Deeds’ people with signs 3 to 1 along Hampton Blvd.  Check here for more picture updates later tonight.

Here are my following predictions for Nov. 3rd:

Governor: Bob McDonnell (+7)
Lt. Governor: Bill Bolling (+5)
Attorney General: Ken Cuccinelli (+8)

House of Delegates:

With a Republican sweep of the all three statewide offices and the House of Delegates looking extremely likely on Election Day, Virginia Republicans must start looking to the future and how to sustain the progress made this year and take back the Virginia Senate in 2011.

The two main issues over the next term will undoubtedly be jump starting the economy and fixing transportation:

With McDonnell in the Governor’s mansion, the emphasis will (obviously and as his campaign has repeatedly stated) be on limiting rates of business and individual taxation in order to stimulate the economy, get people spending again, and creating new industry and jobs in the Commonwealth.  While most confidence needs to be regained at the national level, I think that McDonnell (being a businessman, among many other things) can instill the confidence in business to bring many a company to Virginia over the next four years…at least, much moreso than Deeds could.  This recession won’t last forever and as long as McDonnell keeps Virginia on the leading edge of industry, cuts the budget, doesn’t drive us deeper into debt like the two previous Democratic Governor’s have, then voter will most definitely have more confidence to vote R in 2011 and on.

The other key to Republican victory is fixing transportation.  Since Kaine gutted HB3202 way back when and then SCOVA ruled it partly unconstitutional, no one has delved to create a driving coalition that fixes the state’s transportation needs.  I don’t see a re-hash of 3202 coming around any time soon, since that would merely create more government to get in the way and only add to the problem.  The solution is obviously going to be a stable, equal basis of revenue with proportional allotments and perhaps locally based revenue sources (like ports and airports) going to fund the excess and much-needed projects in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area.  But the key won’t really be in what we do to fix it, but how we do it.

The main thing, at least for a continued Republican victory, will be in the strategy they encompass to solve the problem.  McDonnell has experience with bipartisan support (again…much more so than Deeds has) and will be able to potentially garner a few votes for a plan to pass in the Senate. Bolling could help the Republicans out there as well if a tie vote should happen.  However, mere compromise won’t regain a GOP Senate majority. The House GOP and Governor McDonnell will need to propose a plan to solve transportation right off the bat that is very Republican-principled in nature…in other words, one that will be tough for a D to sign their name to and then go back home after the legislative session.  After that, either Democrats will get on board for fear of voter backlash in 2011 or not sign on and, quite frankly, be doomed in their next race.

With that said, hopes are high that:
1) government will spend far, far less
2) transportation will become a top priority
3) redistricting will sway some seats towards the R persuasion
and 4) the Virginia GOP will grab a few more seats the next go ’round.