No Endorsement In Lt. Gov Race

We thought about it for a long time and decided not to make an endorsement in the Lt. Governor's race.



What started out as a crowded field has ended up as a two-person race between Jody Wagner and Mike Signer. (The ballot you see will have additional names, but those are the only two still actively campaigning.)



Neither has much name recognition, although Wagner has been more successful in rounding up endorsements from state and local political figures.



Wagner served as the state's Finance Secretary under Gov. Kaine and comes across as a very fiscally responsible person. We met her at a shindig in Arlington and found her quite knowledgable about how things work in the state.



The one thing that really bothers us about Wagner is that she has been vague--an understatement--on her positions on energy and the environment. We don't know if that means she (1) doesn't care, (2) simply doesn't want to offend anyone, (3) doesn't know enough, or (4) doesn't want anyone to know her real positions.



Mike Signer is an Arlingtonian--once lived down the street from us, although we didn't know him. He's been around Virginia politics for a long time, serving as a counselor to Mark Warner and a strategist for Tom Perriello, among others.



Signer is a little more specific on energy and the environment, and while not as aggressive as we'd like, still pretty good.



We've heard from partisans for both Mike and Jody, and they make decent cases for each of them. Right now, we think Jody has a slight edge, but with about 70% of voters undecided it could go either way.



The winner of the primary has a bigger problem: running against incumbent Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. Actually, the primary is a help in that regard, as the winner will get some much needed statewide press and attendant name recognition. But voters in Virginia are quite happy to split their tickets in statewide races, so the Democrats could win the Governor's race but still lose the Lt. Governor's race.



So there it is. In the race you know the least about, the Curmudgeon has provided no help. (Maybe some of our commenters will make a pitch that will help, however.)