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Former Senate Finance Chairman John Chichester endorses Democrat Creigh Deeds for governor. Date published: 7/22/2009
By Chelyen Davis
The Free Lance-Star Former Senate Finance chairman and Stafford Republican senator John Chichester is endorsing the Democrat for governor. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Creigh Deeds held a press conference in Richmond today to announce endorsements from Chichester and seven other Republican former legislators. The legislators will help form “Virginians for Deeds” and according to a press release, support “Deeds' efforts to carry on the tradition of keeping Virginia a low-tax state and the ‘best state for business’.” Several of the former legislators sided with Chichester in budget battles against House Republicans in past years. They include former senators Russ Potts, Marty Williams, Brandon Bell and Warren Barry, along with former delegates Panny Rhodes, Jim Dillard and Katherine Waddell, an independent. According to the Deeds campaign, neither Williams nor Bell have endorsed a statewide Democratic candidate before, and both endorsed McDonnell in the 2005 attorney general’s race against Deeds. Candidates regularly tout any support they receive from their opponent’s political party; McDonnell has previously announced the endorsements of people who were cabinet secretaries under former governor Mark Warner, as well as Warner’s director of minority business and the head of “Virginians for Warner.” Chichester, who retired in 2007 after nearly 30 years in office, said in a telephone interview that he’s backing Deeds over his own party’s candidate, Republican Bob McDonnell, because of Deeds’ support for Chichester’s budget plans during tough fiscal times earlier this decade. In 2003 and 2004, Chichester – the powerful leader of the Senate Finance Committee -- was a key player in the passage of a package of tax increases and cuts that helped save the state from losing its triple-A bond rating. Chichester credits that package with strengthening the stability of the state budget and preventing budget cuts. It was a tough legislative fight, as Chichester led the Senate in supporting then-Gov. Mark Warner in passing the tax package, while many House Republicans – including McDonnell – opposed it. “All those things came together and Creigh Deeds was there the entire time with fortitude and backbone to stand with us to accomplish that,” Chichester said. “I simply can’t turn my back on someone who’s stood with me during those not-so-pleasant times.”
Is chichester even relevent anymore?
McD was an ultra right-wing Attorney General. Deeds is moderate.
I've known Chichester for some time now and know him to be a good and honorable man. He's out of politics now; he has nothing to gain or lose. Why would you disparage his opinion and attribute it to petty politics. Is it so hard to conceive that Chichester endorsed the Deeds because he simply believed that he was the best candidate for governor?
Chichester started his political career as a Democrat, and has long since gone back to his roots. Why can't he go quietly into retirement?
What a shame a "leader" bases his endorsement on political favors. The rest of his explanation is cheesy window dressing.
He can't turn his back on the Democrat who stood by him during not-so-pleasant times, but repeatedly shows he has no problem turning his back on Republicans who supported and voted for him any time he ran on their party's ticket.
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