Yeah, your eyes are not deceiving you. The headline is accurate.
Last night, it was somewhat intriguing (even if, in the eyes of quite a few Kossacks, it was justified) to see how much of the reaction from last night's Virginia primary was a celebration of Terry McAuliffe's defeat, rather than Creigh Deeds' decisive win.
Some of the more charitable Deeds supporters tried to tamp down the renditions of "Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye", pointing out that Deeds could benefit if McAuliffe chose to be magnanimous down the line.
They didn't have to wait long. This email hit inboxes less than three hours after the polls closed in Virginia:
Earlier, I called Creigh Deeds and congratulated him on becoming the Democratic nominee for Governor. And I told him something that I know you all will agree with: he MUST be the next Governor of Virginia. Creigh Deeds will carry on the proud tradition of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and he will get Virginia's economy back on track.
Bob McDonnell, on the other hand, has done everything he could to stand in the way of Virginia's progress. He voted "no" on Mark Warner's budget reform. He said "no" to Tim Kaine's transportation reform. He even said "no" to President Obama's economic stimulus plan, rejecting $125 million of your taxpayer money that is now going to other states.
With Bob McDonnell sitting on millions of dollars in his bank account, Creigh Deeds needs our help to gear up for the general election. So please, make a contribution to his campaign and help continue the progress we've made over the last seven years.
Click here to contribute to Creigh Deeds' campaign.
I have been following politics for about half of my lifetime. And I have never seen a vanquished candidate in a primary exhort his supporters to financially support the primary winner within hours of the polls closing in the election.
That was an "A+" move from the guy, and a sign that any divisions in the Democratic Party in Virginia are bound to heal rather quick. It is pretty common for candidates to talk about unifying their party after an election. Good on McAuliffe for, on this occasion, actually doing something about it.