I kept wondering why Democrats in Virginia weren't making a big point out of the fact that the Republican candidate for governor was not only a candidate with no experience in government, but specifically a private equity guy. A private equity guy!
Well, today I found out the reason why, thanks to the Gravel Institute:
The Republican who just won in Virginia was an executive at the Carlyle Group — a private equity firm that has laid off thousands of unionized workers at the firms it acquires.
But the Democrats couldn't attack him on it. Because the Democratic nominee was a Carlyle investor.
Terry McAuliffe is clearly not a symbol of change, which is likely part of what Democrats wanted in a candidate. So not a great choice there, Democratic Party of Virginia. Thinking you were safe because of your recent winning margins statewide was a mistake.
You can't run a just-about-Republican against a Republican and have it work, especially one who's already been governor in a state like Virginia. You need to differentiate your candidate, not have him or her blend in with the Republican.
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