In two separate articles today, our next Senator from the 6th district, Ralph Northam, was viewed favorably. Coming down from Washington to cover the race was the Washington Times’ Seth McLaughlin, who I ran into yesterday morning at the LWV forum. From his article, I see that Seth made the rounds in Norfolk, talking to a number of people, including Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe:
Sheriff McCabe told The Times yesterday that he stopped supporting Mr. Rerras after he learned of the incumbent’s remarks about psychological disorders and when he heard Mr. Rerras used a disparaging remark to describe a female candidate for Norfolk judge.
“It was embarrassing,” Sheriff McCabe said.
Over at the Richmond Times, writer Jeff Schapiro covers the race and hits Republican incumbent Nick Rerras pretty hard:
Rerras has been thrown on the defensive on matters substantive and symbolic.
Among them: His vote this past winter for a transportation fix that some of his core supporters — anti-tax Republicans voters — say won’t work.
Also, Rerras has had to answer again for a remark he made in 2003 that mental illness is caused by demonic possession.
And this year, Rerras complained to a judicial prospect about “feminazis” who disagree with him on enforcement of domestic-violence laws.
Ouch! That repetition of some of the charges against Rerras – especially from a conservative newspaper – has got to hurt.
I agree that this race is about turnout and we all have to do our part to help Ralph win this thing. A little story: yesterday, as I was driving across town to a meeting, I was on the phone with a client who lives not far from me, and, thus, in the 6th. The conversation naturally turned to politics. She considers herself a Republican but had already decided to vote for Paula Miller, the Democratic incumbent in the 87th House district. (And she has convinced her husband to do the same.) When I mentioned the Senate race, she said she was going to vote for Rerras because she wasn’t voting for a “millionaire from the Eastern Shore,” that claim that Rerras has made in his mailers. (Of course, this woman is probably a millionaire herself and lives not far from Ralph!) As it turns out, she had not met Ralph and didn’t know much about him. I took a couple of minutes and tried to dispel any notion that Ralph is some spoiled rich kid. The truth is that Ralph is just an ordinary, hardworking guy and on top of being very smart, very likeable. Once she heard it from me, she said she would definitely check him out and consider voting for him.
That’s what we have to keep doing: talking to our neighbors, our clients, our co-workers – heck, the cashier at the grocery store! – and urge them to vote for our chosen candidates.
Go Ralph!
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VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I still do not understand. I thought that Rebublicans liked millionaires. What are the Bushes?
Maybe “feminazis” plays to the base?
Just an ordinary, hardworking guy whose daddy gave him a quarter-million dollars to run negative attack ads.
Whatta guy!
Green doesn’t look too good on you, Brian.
i am christian gop person, and mr.nick has nothing left but to attack no new ideas nothing same old stuff, the dtr. is a man that talks straight and someone i will vote for.
Vivian, just copying Democratic “hate the rich” class warfare rhetoric.
Besides, I love when rich Democratic Doctors start talking about why health care costs so much.
Brian, would you want to go to a poor uneducated person for help with your child’s brain? So what if he has EARNED some money in his career.
You obviously don’t know much about being middle\lower middle class and having health insurance through your employer, working hard and still not able to afford testing(because your insurance won’t pay for it) that can tell a doc just how to treat your sick baby. Could you look at a parent who is full of dread and trying their best to provide care for a sick child and make this stupid comment?
“””Just an ordinary, hardworking guy whose daddy gave him a quarter-million dollars to run negative attack ads.
Whatta guy!”””
Who better to determine what’s wrong with health care -from a patient perspective- than a doc who sees what they are up against everyday? Yes, it is his profession and he does make his living from it, but come on. Take your head out of your behind ’cause your insurance might not cover it.
By the way Brian, did you like watching Nick run from Andy on WAVY yesterday? It looked like he had ran a stop sign and Andy was back on his Road Rebels show! Go figure.
I know Ralph. He treats everyone the same and is as down to earth and real as you can get.
Let him do what he is best at-helping people.
You do what you do best-make noise.
More personal attacks from the left. So routine…
Is there any facet of life that we won’t rely on government to take care of for us?
Let’s hope you don’t ever need that kind of help, Brian. But if you did, I have no doubt you’d be the first to take it, and demand more.
Leave it to the right to label stating the obvious as a personal attack.
So yes, it is our routine to state the obvious.
Spotter speaks the plain simple truth.