How Far Left Will Virginia Dems Go?

In the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, whose word would you take — Biz Markie or The Washington Post editorial board? Appomattox Democratic Committee Chair Frank Poynter or the former leader of the free world, Bill Clinton?

Everybody’s picking sides: The Washington Post endorsed State Sen. Creigh Deeds, who represents a rural district; the majority of the state Democratic Party steering committee backs former state lawmaker Brian Moran; and rapper Biz Markie and Clinton support former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

In some ways, the Virginia campaign mirrors this year’s the other gubernatorial race in New Jersey. In the Garden State, the drama hinges on whether Republican voters will choose a hard right-wing conservative or a relative moderate in the June 2 gubernatorial primary. In Virginia, we’ll see what sells these days with Democrats: a moderate from a rural area, a national party operative, or a guy who has tried to paint himself as the most liberal candidate of the three.

Ultimately, it’s obviously up to the voters to decide who’ll face Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell in the race for governor. The outcome of the June 9 Democratic primary, however, will likely show just how far left Virginia voters will go, and whether the Southern state that turned blue for President Obama, Gov. Tim Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner (a former governor) could continue to vote for Democrats in the forseeable future.

McAuliffe is trotting Clinton across the state and bragging about his connections and ability to create jobs,. Deeds argues that he doesn’t have the connections, but he understands the rural, significantly less-liberal majority of the state where people support gun rights and the death penalty. Finally, Moran has stepped out as the only candidate to vow to repeal a state constitutional ban on gay marriage and to decry offshore oil drilling.