Where Deeds & McDonnell stand on the issues

Creigh Deeds
(Democrat)

ECONOMY
Would provide a tax credit for every job created by a small business; would double the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to $20 million and put $10 million more into job training; proposes regular audits of state agencies.

TRANSPORTATION
Would assemble a bipartisan commission to craft a comprehensive transportation package. He is willing to sign a tax increase for transportation, as long as it arises from a bipartisan consensus.

ENERGY
Says he will pursue a comprehensive approach, focused on creating jobs in the new energy economy, establishing energy independence and reducing carbon emissions. Says he would consider drilling for oil and gas off Virginia’s coast.

HIGHER EDUCATION
Proposes a “Virginia Forward” scholarship program. It would award financial assistance to high school students who maintain a B average and commit to two years of public service in Virginia after graduation.

GUN-SHOW LOOPHOLE
Now favors attempts to close the “loophole” in which a purchaser may buy a firearm from an unlicensed dealer at a gun show without undergoing a background check.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Says he would renew Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s 2006 executive order that outlawed bias against gays in state hiring, employment and promotion.

Bob McDonnell
(Republican)

ECONOMY
Would provide a $1,000 tax credit per job to businesses that create 50 new jobs, or 25 new jobs in economically distressed areas; would appoint Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling as “Virginia’s chief job creation officer”; would nearly double state funding for the Governor’s Opportunity Fund.

TRANSPORTATION
Opposes tax increases. Has offered a dozen funding mechanisms, from bonds, to privatizing the state’s ABC stores, to installing interstate tolls to be paid by motorists entering Virginia from North Carolina.

ENERGY
Calls for an “all-of-the-above” approach to Virginia’s energy needs. Backs exploring and drilling for oil and natural gas off Virginia’s coast, supporting Virginia’s coal and nuclear industries, supporting alternative and renewable forms of energy and making Virginia a “green jobs zone.“

HIGHER EDUCATION
Says Virginia should award 100,000 additional associate and bachelor’s degrees over the next 15 years and that the state needs to “increase affordability and accessibility.“

GUN-SHOW LOOPHOLE
Opposes closing the “loophole,“ calling it an attempt to regulate private sales.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Would not renew the executive order. In 2006, as attorney general, he called Kaine’s order illegal, saying the governor had overstepped his constitutional authority and usurped the power of the General Assembly.