Tuesday, Bob McDonnell was elected to serve as the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, defeating state Sen. Creigh Deeds by a margin of 59 – 41 percent.
By comparison, President Barack Obama received 53 percent of the vote for in 2008.
Sen. Deeds had made clear during the campaign his willingness to raise taxes. On September 23, in a Washington Post Op-Ed entitled “My Transportation Plan”, Deeds said, “As a legislator, I have voted for a number of mechanisms to fund transportation, including a gas tax. And I’ll sign a bipartisan bill with a dedicated funding mechanism for transportation—even if includes new taxes.” This openness to tax increases was a clear contrast to the low tax platform McDonnell ran on.
“I congratulate Governor-elect Bob McDonnell for his victory Tuesday. I hope to work with him to find ways to make Virginia’s government more efficient and less costly to the taxpayers,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “The mood of Virginia and its representation of the national mood spoke loudly on Tuesday. Virginians voted against tax increases and out of control government spending.”
Americans for Tax Reform urges Governor-elect Bob McDonnell to lead the state of Virginia abiding by the principles of limited government and lower taxes that he ran his campaign on. ATR urges him to reject any and all tax increases that may come across his desk as Governor.
“Bob has been entrusted by the people of Virginia to reject higher taxes and limit government. I encourage him to govern the Commonwealth on the low tax principles that he ran on: reducing the tax burden carried on the backs of families and businesses.”