NBC29 Charlottesville
March 29, 2009
"Democrats in the race for Virginia’s lieutenant governor seat tried to stand out from the crowd in a roundtable discussion of the issues at the University of Virginia Sunday. The event was part of the Virginia Young Democrats Convention.
One by one each of the four democratic candidates made their pitch for office before a group of some of their youngest, most passionate constituents.
"It's about jobs, jobs, jobs,” said candidate Jon Bowerback. “That's how we increase the overall economy of the Commonwealth."
Virginia Democrats will vote in June to determing who will represent their party against Republican incumbent Bill Bolling in the general election.
"There's a lot of happy talk right now among Virginia Democrats," said candidate Michael Signer. "I'm concerned. I've seen these Republicans before. They do not let go of their power lightly."
Students at the discussion challenged the candidates to differentiate themselves, posing controversial questions. "As a Democrat I value social perspectives. Where do you stand on gay marriage in the Commonwealth?" asked one student.
Added student Parth Joshi: "The views on higher education is definitely an important thing. Tuition rates and everything are going up, and we just cut education funding for the past several years. That's really making a direct impact on college students."
The four Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor will face off in a June 9 primary along with the party's three candidates for governor."
Reported by Liz Nagy
Article located here: http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=10091314
