This letter is addressed to the undecided voters who supported the ban on smoking in Virginia restaurants.
After four years of struggling against legislators who defied the public will, public health prevailed over the nicotine lobby.
As a state senator, R. Creigh Deeds voted for the smoking ban.
Voters should understand that Bob McDonnell opposed this legislation despite the overwhelming support of Virginians.
No surprise, since he consistently protected Big Tobacco throughout his legislative career.
More than a decade ago, he voted against a comprehensive smoking ban that would have significantly protected public health.
Mr. McDonnell also led the opposition to any cigarette-tax increase at a time when the state desperately needed revenue and had the nation's lowest tax, 21/2 cents per pack.
He voted for a "smokers' rights" bill that would have elevated smoking to a legally protected status.
Big Tobacco was not ungrateful. They stuffed Mr. McDonnell's pockets with hefty campaign contributions during his legislative tenure, then gave him more than $50,000 before his gubernatorial campaign even started.
It has been a long, brutal struggle to get our state out of the death grip of the tobacco industry.
If you want to set Virginia back 50 years, just put Bob McDonnell in the Governor's Mansion.
Hilton Oliver
Virginia Beach
The writer is executive director of the , Virginia Group to Alleviate Smoking in Public (GASP).