BEDFORD — The only thing about State Sen. Creigh Deeds that wasn’t dampened Saturday afternoon was his enthusiasm.
“I’ll be honest with you,” he said after bursting through the front door of the Bedford Democratic Headquarters on Main Street just before 4 p.m. “I grew up on a farm, and rain is a good thing. It makes the crops grow and the cows get fat.”
There was no applause connected to that comment. Bedford had just seen Centerfest — its signature, once-a-year event — essentially washed out by a steady downpour.
Initially, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deeds and Fifth District Representative Tom Perriello were supposed to stroll among the booths and festivalgoers, shaking hands and sharing wisdom. When it became apparent that the rain wasn’t letting up, however, Plan B was quickly implemented — the pair meeting local Democrats at party headquarters, a square brick building on the edge of downtown that used to be a bank.
Under the circumstances, this seemed to work well for everyone.
“Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself that a fellow from Bath County has a chance to become governor,” said Deeds.
He followed that with a litany of what he hoped to do if he succeeded.
“I want to be the governor to restore confidence in the economy,” he said. “The future is at stake, and we have 38 days to claim it.”
The Deeds-Bob McDonnell contest is actually a rematch. In 2005, McDonnell edged Deeds in the Attorney General’s race by less than 400 votes out of 19 million cast.
“The more people get to know me and get to know him (McDonnell),” Deeds said Saturday, “the more votes I’m going to get.”
Perriello said little, obviously wanting Deeds to dominate the spotlight.
“The best thing you can do for me,” he said, “is to elect this guy here.”
Deeds, Perriello said, would be a good partner in his own efforts to fix the economy.
“He’s been very instrumental in trying to balance the budget in Virginia,” Perriello said.
Of course, visiting Centerfest meant missing Virginia Tech’s key football game with Miami, but Deeds said “I’ve got it on my Blackberry. As soon as I get a chance, I’m going to see how it’s going.”
Told Tech had a 14-0 lead, the candidate grinned and said:
“That’s another good thing about rain — it hurts their (Miami’s) passing game.”
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