Ken Cuccinelli has had everything including the kitchen sink thrown at him in this campaign, and yet, as fellow BDer Norm Leahy noted, the race is a statistical tie again.
That said, the sink left a bruise (as thrown sinks often do); Ken may be within three points of T-Mac, but his negatives are north of 50%. Meanwhile, Robert Sarvis has 7% of voters, and a whopping 14% of independents.
Yet, with T-Mac only at 44% and Ken at 41%, there’s all to play for.
More importantly, the poll is practically screaming at Ken where he should go with his campaign: positive.
The high Sarvis number among independents is the key here. I suspect that these Virginians are parking their votes with Sarvis until one of the major candidates convinces them to vote for him. All T-Mac has is his history as a political operator and his…um…businesses.
By contrast, Ken can bring voters’ attention to three things in particular…
His history on wrongful convictions: Truth be told, this one is already on the airwaves (if the commercials on Monday night are any indication), so that’s a good start.
His tax reform plan: Ken’s income tax reform plan, would be a boon to nearly all Virginians, but especially to poor and middle-class voters, for whom the deductions and credits that would disappear don’t apply (Virginia’s top tax rate – 5% – kicks in at a mere $17,000 in taxable income).
His education reform policy: I’ve mentioned the importance of this before; it can still be the dramatic game changer I called it then.
In short, Ken Cuccinelli can talk to Virginians about how he has helped, and can helped, all of them, not just the wealthy ones. Virginians are ready to vote for someone, and Ken’s record and platform is enough to earn their votes. He needs to let them know that.
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