Great News

I've got some great news, and it's all thanks to your hard work. Some new polling shows we've got the lead, and today we're releasing a new TV ad to help keep our momentum going. But with just two weeks to go until Election Day, our opponents are ratcheting up the attacks, and we're counting on your help to pull us over the finish line.

Boots on the Ground

Turnout will be the deciding factor in this election, and we need your help. Since the beginning of this campaign, we've succeeded in bringing new people into our political process because people like you have been pounding the pavement -- knocking doors, making phone calls, and empowering voters to make their voices heard. Just yesterday the Associated Press noted that, "Political observers suggest a low primary turnout would benefit Moran or Deeds, while a larger turnout would help McAuliffe, who is trying to attract new voters as Obama did."

But the Moran campaign thinks our strategy is all for nothing. After going around for months claiming that the grassroots was the key to victory, the Washington Post reported this morning that Moran's strategists "view that kind of operation as a waste of resources on voters unlikely to come out for a June primary."

That's right -- the Moran campaign is taking a shot at you and all the hard work you've been doing for months. This is our chance to prove them wrong. We've got the infrastructure -- 14 field offices across the Commonwealth, and 50 of the best field organizers in politics. But we need your help to power the operation - making phone calls and knocking on doors so we can get our voters to the polls. And if you're one of the first 200 people to sign up and volunteer your time between now and the election, we'll give you a rally sign autographed by Terry McAuliffe.

The single most important thing you can do to help this effort is to come into one of our offices. But there are other opportunities to get involved too - even from your home.

Click Here to Volunteer and Get an Autographed Rally Sign.

Polls, Polls, Polls

Three new polls came out at the end of last week, and they all show us with a very solid lead. DailyKos founder and best-selling author Markos Moulitsas observed that "McAuliffe has managed to move his favorability numbers forward despite an increasingly negative primary." As voters take a tough look at each of the candidates, Terry's vision for growing the economy and creating jobs is clearly resonating.

But we've still got a lot of work to do. Public Policy Polling's Dean Debnam says, "This race is still really up for grabs…There are still lots of undecideds and lots of voters open to changing their minds."

That's why we need your help now more than ever. The attacks on Terry have already started, and you ain't seen nothing yet. VCU Professor Bob Holsworth noted that, "With McAuliffe ahead in all of the public polls, attempting to bring him down has become a matter of some urgency to the other campaigns." And Brian Moran's chief strategist has pledged to do precisely that.

Terry's taken a different approach. He's sticking to the issues, staying positive, and saving his criticism for Bob McDonnell. But in order for that strategy to work, we need your help.

New TV Ad

Today, we're also unveiling our newest television ad - a 30 second spot that focuses on the importance of investing in early childhood education. I wanted to make sure you see it first.

Thanks to you, I couldn't be more proud of the campaign we're running. But right now we're getting attacked from all sides. Both of our opponents are on the air, and we need the resources to respond to their attacks, communicate Terry's positive message of job creation, and bring our people to the polls.

Click here to make a contribution to fully fund our efforts to reach voters and respond to attacks. There are only two weeks left!

Let's keep the pedal to the metal until Election Day on June 9th.

P.S. If you're not going to able to make it to the polls on June 9th, make sure to cast an absentee ballot. Click here to get more information.

Tags: ads, brian moran, education, grassroots, macker, mcauliffe, moran, organization, polling, polls, supporters, t-mac, teachers, terry, terry mcauliffe, tv ad, va-gov, virginia

McAuliffe Campaign Releases New Ad Highlighting Education Plans

Today, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released a new television advertisement highlighting his ideas for getting all Virginia's children on a path to success.

"Did you know we use the failure rate of third graders to help predict how many prison spots Virginia will need in 15 years?" says McAuliffe in the ad. "As Governor I'll invest in early education, reduce class sizes and invest in teacher pay because the future of our children and our Commonwealth start right here."

The ad, "Right Here," will run on stations in the Richmond, Norfolk and Roanoke media markets. It can be viewed here.

Tags: ad, education, macker, mcauliffe, t-mac, teachers, terry, terry mcauliffe, tv ad, va-gov, virginia

McAuliffe Unveils Fourth Chapter of His Business Plan for Virginia

Highlighting the need to attract the employers and jobs we want in the future, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe released the fourth chapter of his Business Plan for Virginia, which focuses on improving Virginia's education system.

"To attract the employers and jobs we want in the future, we need to ensure that Virginia has the best-educated, best-trained, most skilled workforce in the world," McAuliffe said. "Over the past eight years, we've seen steady progress and better results in education. The challenge for the next governor will be to make better use of what we have. That means we have to build more flexibility, more innovation and more creativity into the system."

McAuliffe called for streamlining the process of commercializing research at Virginia's universities to provide extra funding for colleges and allow them to lower tuition costs. McAuliffe said he would ask the newly created Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority to identify all roadblocks to commercializing research breakthroughs and build partnerships, linking schools and the private sector from the outset of research. With the extra revenue from university research, McAuliffe would require that 50% of it go to lowering the costs of college tuition. McAuliffe also said he would support Virginia's community colleges, which provide a less expensive alternative for the first two years of college and will enable our workforce development initiatives.

"We have excellent two- and four-year institutions that educate our young people, train our workforce and serve as a base for economic spin-offs," McAuliffe said. "Today the issue is access. We have to do better when it comes to making higher education more affordable."

Emphasizing the importance of earning more than a high school degree, McAuliffe said he would ensure that students are prepared to go to college and adapt critical skills. He promoted measures including broadening dual enrollment and expanding the availability of the Early College High School Initiative to give Virginia students a head start. McAuliffe proposed implementing new voluntary assessments that would allow high school juniors who are ready to bypass their senior year and go straight to college.

Additionally, to improve outcomes in the classroom, McAuliffe underscored the importance of continuing Governor Kaine's pre-K expansion, as well as providing a state School Readiness Tax Credit for high-quality child care and preschool providers and the families and employers that use them.

Finally, McAuliffe called for offering incentives to attract the best teachers in the nation. McAuliffe said he would raise teacher salaries to the national average and work with teachers to find innovative ways to differentiate compensation. If teachers take on additional responsibilities, they should be rewarded for it.

"The most important component in our education system is the teacher," McAuliffe said. "If we're going to have the best schools, Virginia will have to compete for the best teachers."

Tags: business plan, colleges, economy, education, mcauliffe, school, t-mac, teachers, terry, terry mcauliffe, universities, va-gov, virginia

Education

Virginia is not going to be able to attract and sustain jobs of the future if we don’t have a workforce that is ready for those jobs. Right now, we know those jobs are in the energy field. But in 50 years, it could be something different. In this fast-paced, global economy, teaching to the test is not enough. Our students need to learn how to innovate and think critically. This will serve them well in five years and in fifty years.

In recent years, other countries have made advances in education while our system has remained essentially the same. In this global economy, it is not enough for our students to just be able to take a test. Terry McAuliffe believes that while it’s important for our students to have basic knowledge, we need to look beyond multiple-choice questions and teach them how to think.

There are some steps we can take to get there.

One of the most important things we can do to help our children live their lives to their fullest potential is get off to the right start. Governor Tim Kaine has made significant investments in early childhood education, and Terry believes we need to continue this progress and invest even more in pre-k. Ultimately, if a child is ready for school, he or she is far more likely to be successful upon entering kindergarten and less likely to get into trouble down the road.

Terry also knows that Virginia has to do more for our teachers. There needs to be a focus on attracting and retaining bright individuals to teaching. The federal and state government continue to place demands on teachers but with little to no incentive to stay and do a good job. It’s no wonder nearly half of teachers these days leave the profession within the first five years. Virginia must pay teachers at least the national average.

And finally, in the area of higher education, any student who wants to go to college should have that opportunity. Virginia’s colleges and universities have a lot to offer – many are doing innovative research that could lead to great economic development opportunities. Terry believes we need to help our institutions of higher education capitalize on research. Ultimately, the result will be more dollars for colleges and universities and more opportunities to keep tuition low and offer scholarships.

Tags: 2009, business, classrooms, economic, economy, education, governor, jobs, macker, mcauliffe, plan, schools, t-mac, teachers, terry, terry mcauliffe, va-gov, virginia