Omen for Obama?

The Virginia Gubernatorial election is just days away, and the Democrats are feeling the pressure. In VA, Democrat Creigh Deeds is running against Republican attorney general Bob McDonnell. According to a Wall Street Journal article, Mr. McDonnell is currently ahead in the polls, with 54.6% support to 40.3% for Deeds. Last November, Virginia voted blue for the first time in 45 years, a tradition that Creigh Deeds, and the president, would like to continue on Tuesday. As both candidates talk about creating jobs for the state, boosting the economy in the rural south, and fixing the crumbling transportation system in the north, this race has somehow turned away from the state and toward the white house.

The election on Tuesday means much more than a new governor for Virginia. According to a New York Times article, losing the Virginia race could be a bad sign for Obama’s staying power. A Wall Street Journal article describes VA voters as being simply uninspired with the Democratic nominee, a problem that no one seemed to have had with Obama in November. If McDonnell wins VA, the GOP will be one step closer to their 2010 and 2012 aspirations, but if Creigh Deeds loses, Obama will still be the president.

In this discussion of state and federal government, one must wonder, how much of state politics has to do with national politics? This election tests the advantages and disadvantages of Federalism. If the states are the laboratories of democracy, models of elections to come, than Obama has every right to be worried of the “republican wave” that Karl Rove is predicting for 2010. But as most political analysts agree, this election won’t predict next year’s mid-term results. Until then, Democrats need to get as excited about the future as the Republicans.