Big Endorsement for Bob McDonnell

Besides being extremely popular and well respected in the African American community, Sheila Johnson is very popular in Northern Virginia.  A huge boost for Bob McDonnell in his weakest two demographics in Virginia.

Comments

[11thDem]

This is starting to feel like a McDonnell Tidal Wave in Virginia. He is running an amazing campaign. hopefully he pulls a macaca

[James Martin]

Haha Ben, this means squat... Sheila Johnson isn't a Democrat, she gave $12,000 to indicted right wing extremist Mark Tate.

Her husband is an extremely well respected Judge and Democrat in Arlington, if he had endorsed McDonnell (which is wouldn't), that would be a story... not this.

[Williamsburg]

Hahahaha-- nice spinning James.

She is a Democrat. I know it's tough to swallow, but it is true. She gave over $600K to Kaine and his PAC. From the press conference: "I have been a life-long Democrat -- I will always be a Democrat -- but as a Democrat, I am really impressed with this Republican candidate."

[bubba]

Big time endorsement. Big time.

[William Jackson]

She also gave nearly $600,000 to Kaine. 95% of the money she's given has been to dems. She even donated to McAuliffe and Moran in the primary. Big Story!

http://www.vpap.org/donors/profile/index/44210?start_year=2001&end_year=2009&lookup_type=year&filing_period=all

[Objective Observor]

Jim Martin should think about 2005 before he writes. In 2005, Sheila Johnson donated $400,000 to Tim Kaine.

See link below or google yourself.

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:hk43cFgD0fIJ:www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/24843.html+%22tim+kaine%22+%22sheila+johnson%22+contribution&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[Dirty Deeds]

Color Deeds well done. If he can't get this lady to support him he is toast.

[LHR]

Hmm yet has she given any money to Bob McD's campaign?? This looks more like a play against Creigh (the only candidate she didn't support in the primary) than a play for McDonnell. Maybe she hates SW Virginia.

[Not Jim Moran]

Its amazing how Dems write ppl off when they vote for Republicans.

Maybe that's why Dems lose thes elections in VA, James M.

[change]

I wait with baited breath to hear our local racist “spock”s take on this news.

Will this brave woman receive the “uncle tom” treatment that the liberals gave to Justice Thomas or will he accept that many minorities are beginning to see through the liberal BS and understand that “big government” is not the solution to every problem?

[James Martin]

Umm... Not Jim Moran...

Warner- '01
Kaine- '05
Webb- '06
VA Senate- '07
Obama, Warner, Connolly, Perriello, Nye- '08

Sense some momentum? You guys haven't won a big election in almost a DECADE now.

[change]

JM,
That was then, this is now.

Look at the recent races in Alexandria and the close BOS race. Please continue to bury your head in the sand and believe that the “middle” voters will continue to swallow the lies they are told.

People are starting to see these “transparent” liberals for what they really are.
“Race baiting” is not working and soon, even “class warfare” will not work. What will the liberals stoop to then?

[Yes, James, This Is a Story]

Yes, James, this is a story. So far, the Washington Post, AP, Fox News, WJZ, Richmond Times Dispatch and National Review Online have all picked it up.

And no, attacking Sheila Johnson is NOT the way to help Creigh Deeds.

[Ian J]

Like so very often, Ben has it wrong. Sheila Johnson is not popular anywhere. The only reason she's rich is b/c she scored when divorcing her billionaire husband.

Do not be mistaken: she is neither popular with blacks or dwellers of NOVA enough to sway ONE SINGLE VOTE.

[kelley in virginia]

1: i don't know this woman so cannot be swayed by her personal endorsement (as if anyone is ever swayed by endorsements). however, it is creating publicity for McDonnell.

2: how can her husband be a judge and a Democrat? party affiliation in Virginia's judiciary is prohibited. he could lose his job.

[Sam]

I'm a political junkie, from Northern Virginia, and I've never even heard of this women. I find it hard to believe that the average voter will (1) know who she is, (2) care about her opinion on the race, AND (3) allow her opinion to sway their vote.

To quote Larry Sabato (and you can look it up, I've said this when candidates I like have gotten big endorsements too), "And endorsement gets a candidate a grand total of one and a half votes. The endorser, and about 50% of the time, the endorser's spouse."

[Sam]

kelley,

Judges exist as people before they are selected by the legislature. Just because they're a Judge doesn't mean they're no longer their prior party in ideology and voting (which, for the most part, is all that matters in Virginia anyawys, since we don't register by party here).

[Social Conservative]

To those who are dismissing this endorsement: The next time a liberal Republican endorses a Democrat for ANYTHING, I expect silence from you. After all, endorsements don't matter. In fact, there should not be any mention of any other endorsements the rest of this campaign from any of you, since they don't matter.

[11thDem]

Its not about votes or race, Its about a positive image boost for Bobby Mac and $$$ and Her Business creds

[Sam]

Social Conservative,

Agreed. I made the same point about the lack of any value to Buckley's endorsement of Obama. Or Powell's. Same thing, they did nothing for Obama.

[Spock]

I don't dismiss this endorsement, nor do I see this woman as an "Uncle Tom"

And, to be honest, I don't see much difference between McDonnell and Deeds.

Bobby is a Northern VA Repub and Creigh is a SW VA Dem, which means they probably meet in the middle somewhere.

Maybe she likes the fact that Bobby is originally from Alexandria?

I can understand that.

Too bad Brian Moran ran such a bad nomination campaign.

[Mr. GOP]

Ah, yes, things are shaping up nicely....

[Not Bentard]

Assignment of blame:

All on Tim Kaine.

[Salem Republicans]

This endorsement matters if for no other reason than she won't be pumping money into the Dem campaign and McDonnell just stole the Deeds news cycle from his "big" economic announcement today.

[Suzie]

Kelly: Judge Newman was a member of the Arlington County Board before he became a judge. He was elected to the Board as a Democrat.

[kelley in virginia]

Judge Newman could have once been a Dem, but he can't be any longer. he can have no party affiliation. he can go to no partisan political functions. he can make no financial contributions; nor can any come from a checkbook on which he is a signator. he can't have a yard sign on property that he has any interest in. he's not supposed to have a bumpersticker on a vehicle of which he has ownership interest.

but i like the fact that his wife is active in politics. i think that's fine.

just sayin...

[Stonewall Brigade]

This is a big deal. She was Kaine's second biggest contributor. A good day for McD but campaigns are marathons not sprints.

[DemRulz]

First, Bob is not a "Northern Virginia Republican" whatever that is. He was born in Philadelphia, grew up in NoVa, but after graduating from Pat Robertson's University, stayed in Virginia Beach. There are huge differences between him and Creigh on a number of issues.
Second - Kelly - Judge Newman is certainly non-partisan (and a great person), but what's the code section that says judges can't have signs ontheir lawns, etc.?

[Spock]

DemRulz- please explain the difference between the two candidates?

As a yankee hardcore leftist why is Deeds better for my support?

Now, I am going to vote for him anyway, but to be honest with you, he is appearing rather LAME and McDonnell is not exactly the wackjob "Coooch" is either.

Aside from his recent Planned Parenthood endorsement (ok, I am diggin that) I am having a hard time being impressed by a candidate who doesn't seem to have a voice about anything.

Please show me how he is going to help the people?

[Becky Dee]

Ms. Johnson is a key figure within influential Virginia business circles. She is highly respected. Her endorsement means more influential individuals who were on the fence in this race will support McDonnell. (With their wallets.) This is a HUGE story and great news for McDonnell.

[MIJ]

Ian J "scored when she divorced husband"....get your facts straight...She was the co-founder of BET
She is one heck of a business woman..owes a basketball team, is building a mega resort in Middleburg and God knows what else. On a personal note, when she and her ex purchased a rather grand house, an agent in my former office worked with them. Trust me when I tell you she was the one with the business smarts. Comments like yours really hit a nerve. The assumption that any divorced woman who has two dimes to rub together owes it to an ex and a PSA is truly insulting.

[RicJohn]

This is big news for McDonnell. Sheila Johnson is Tim Kaine's biggest political contributor and a close friend. She is a prominent Democratic activist, so I'm wondering exactly how McDonnell wooed her to his campaign, but ultimately, this is a good look for him.

[change]

Sam,
Who are you trying to kid? Powell’s endorsement was huge for Obambi, and if you are really a “political junkie” and do not know this woman there must be a new definition for political junkie in NVA; or possibly it is a testament to your real knowledge of politics.
Spock, I appreciate your acceptance for this woman’s credentials. Unfortunately we see from some of the other posters that they are attempting to “Palin” this woman by dismissing her business acumen and suggesting that she only has financial success because of her husband.

Many people (especially women) might think things to be just the opposite; that their mutual success is a direct result of her activities. I actually hope that the liberals continue to paint her as worthless and a “hanger on” Not only will it help McD. it will help prove the hypocrisy of liberals thereby assisting Palin’s future.

Before you ignorant posters start bashing this woman, I would suggest you read her bio.

[Anonymous Is A Woman]

Spock, fair question about the difference between Deeds and McDonnell, if you are not familiar with Virginia politics. There are, in fact, huge differences.

McDonnell has remade his image as a moderate, affable Republican. That's because we have an idiotic mainstream media that is lazy, overpaid, and underworked. Sorry for those of you who still sympathize with them, but they are an embarrasment to what used to be real journalists.

Deeds is a moderate Democrat in the Southern tradition. Yes, that means somewhat of a Blue Dog.

The thing that bothers some NoVa progressives about him is his record on guns and the environment. Fair enough.

But McDonnell is a staunch, anti-choice, anti-gay social conservative. And he's not better on guns or the environment than Creigh is. It's not as if a progressive would find any issue that McDonnell was better than Deeds on. And on significant issues, like the ones I mentioned above, he's far, far worse (from a progressive's point of view).

Additionally, he is anti-working people and anti labor. In fact, he's making it one of the flagship issues of his campaign by trying to link the national EFCA legislation to Virginia's right to work laws.

I won't begin to guess Sheila Johnson's reasons for endorsing McDonnell nor will I insult her. That wouldn't be fair. But I am interested in her thought process in making this unusual (for her) decision.

Nevertheless, it's also not fair to say there are no differences between McDonnell and Deeds.

Deeds is a moderate. McDonnell defintely is not. He's just photogenic and likable enough to soothe a press corps that's asleep most of the time anyway so they aren't reporting his long history of social conservatism that stands in marked contrast to Deeds' moderation.

[change]

"He's just photogenic and likable enough to soothe a press corps that's asleep most of the time "

hmmmmm.... Sounds a bit like Obambi..

[Spank That Donkey]

Mc D Got some Juicy Fruit!

[DCCyclone]

Huge "news cycle" win for McDonnell on this endorsement.

But this endorsement doesn't really matter in the bigger picture unless a supportable narrative forms that "Deeds struggles with black voters." That's already out there from 2005, but it's not developed yet this time. But this endorsement is the type of thing that can reincarnate that narrative for this year IF there's more along the way to support it. If not, it's isolated and meaningless.

I have no idea how she stands in black voters' eyes, and very possibly they don't even recognize her name. Everyone knows "Robert Johnson" is the "BET founder," but I never heard of his wife until this endorsement. Somehow I doubt this packs that strong a punch. And while endorsements aren't nothing, they're rarely a very big deal. Sheila Johnson is definitely NOT NEARLY the scale of "Colin Powell endorses Obama," not even close.

One commenter above said she's got good business community ties and can sway those people, and if that's true, then that helps McD and hurts Deeds in fundraising with those people.

[KC]

Who is this woman? And, why should we care?

[rjma]

Here's Bill O'Reilly on BET:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120993,00.html

[SuzyQ]

A couple of questions, what ever happened to Governor Kaine? Does he ever come back to VA? Will he campaign for Deeds, or is he too busy for that?

Creigh Deeds seems like a nice guy, but what's with the poopy pony stuff? http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2009/07/creigh-deeds-is-looking-for-pony-that.html

He's got to stop that kind of thing.

[SuzyQ]

One more question, is this true?
http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/creigh-deeds

Does Deeds really not have anything for us in NOVA in his economic plan?

I too am fearing a landslide. Deeds need to step it up.

[Dan]

I think that this endorsement is symptomatic of the Democrats suffering from a tinge of "Republican Entitlement Syndrome."
Specifically, the recent Republican losses had a lot to do with a feeling of entitlement among GOP elected officials. Howell ran the caucus as if anyone with an "R" next to his name could win an election regardless of his resume; Allen believed himself to be invincible even as the walls crashed down around him; Kilgore, Early, etc believed they could run a campaign on permanent cruise control and coast to victory simply because they were Republicans.
Right now there are a lot of Democratic consultants who have gotten a lot of credit in VA for winning races the same way Republican consultants won in the mid-90's -- through sheer luck. These consultants are taking this election for granted because they believe themselves to be invincible, and not reaching out to key players and key demographics. This endorsement is a major indication of this sentiment. After consecutive victories of Warner, Kaine, Webb, and Warner, the Dems began measuring the drapes the minute Deeds won the nomination... and it may very well prove their undoing.

[Spock]

"Change" nobody is going to "Sarah Palin" Ms. Johnson. We all know how impressive she is, and she is far more on the ball and smarter than Sarah Palin.

The fact that she has endorsed McDonnell has my curiosity. Not that I am going to vote McDonnell because of it, but it still is a curious move on her part.

Anon is a Woman- My impression of McDonnell is sort of opposite. I see him as trying very hard to give the impression of the extreme rightwinger, but behind the scenes is a bit more reasonable than Marshall, Delgaudio and that old has- been:Dick Black.
Would I ever vote McDonnell? Hell no!
But he just doesn't appear as scary as "Coooch".

Please! If you know things about McDonnell that we all should know about, and you know Labor is an important issue for folks like myself, PLEASE write something on your blog listing the facts behind him so we can be informed?

That would prove really helpful and I can pass it around to the Labor activists.

Maybe we can try to change Ms. Johnson's mind?

[Not Frank Hargrove]

This will be big news all the way through the next day the newspaper hits your doorstep. This is insider stuff, and if it sways 10 people I'd be impressed. Remember, Creigh was losing his ass in the Primary until 2 weeks before election day. It'll be a long time until November.

[Not Frank Hargrove]

The Patricia Cornwell of 2009 minus the motorcycle and the...uh...well you know.

[novamiddleman]

Damn Anon is A Woman really is a leftwing loon

[Spock]

I did a bit of reading in the MSM about this and it seems that Ms Johnson has endorsed McDonnell because he has actually expressed a plan for economic recovery.

Now, from my political view it's probably a plan I would not agree with, but he is talking about a plan.

What is Deeds talking about? Poop?!

The VA Dem candidates are an embarrassment this time around with no platform or issues and their campaigns are being poorly run.

I am not saying this as an enemy of the Democrat party, I am saying this as a friend and a supporter.

If this comment means nothing to the Dem party operatives, at least maybe Ms. Johnson's latest move will be a wake up call enough to get on the ball and actually start running the campaigns properly!

Yes, "Mudkip" Sanders, wake the f*** up and get back to work, you lazy hillbilly dumba**! @$!&*^$^%$^##@@*&!!!!

[Sumatra]

Throw out the name Sheila Johnson in a random group or ask 'the man on the street' if he has heard about Sheila Johnson - most likely you'll hear: "Sheila WHO?"

[kelley in virginia]

whoever asked what code section is prohibiting judges from displaying partisan politics: there isn't any. it is in their judicial ethics.

[change]

It is good to find the limits of where liberals will stop bashing those who support conservative values.
They must be a black woman, self made and a threat to all sacrosanct liberal thinking. God bless this woman for stepping forward in defense of true American values.

[Kestrel]

This just proves that Ms. Johnson's only "core value" is . . . Sheila Johnson. See here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033104340.html
for her defense of corporate excesses and her whining about Congress' scolding of indulgent execs.

As a liberal-leaning Independent, ordinarily I'd respect someone for throwing his or her support behind candidates of both parties. But one would expect those candidates to be moderates of their respective parties, or to at least share some key ideals and intentions. Not the case here.

As someone from nearby Johnson's adopted hometown with many years spent within the Middleburg (working class) community, I have never been a fan of hers for many reasons, not the least of which is the despoiling of its countryside after posing as a conservationist and throwing her money around long enough to get her way.

[cj]

@Sumatra -- the "man in the street" may not have heard of Sheila Johnson, but a lot of NoVa women have. She's smart, she's savvy, she's ambitious, she's a go-getter. She's obviously not perfect -- as this endorsement shows -- but is not to be so blithely dismissed.