Wilder Weighs In

Tue, October 21, 2008 - 8:35 PM

Richmond mayor and former Virginia governor Doug Wilder “can’t imagine a scenario in which (Barack Obama) loses” Virginia.

Appearing on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC, Wilder, the country’s first African-American to be elected as governor of a state, predicted polls in the Obama-McCain race will show a reverse Bradley effect. Tom Bradley, an African-American mayor of Los Angeles lost the 1982 California gubernatorial race, though polls had showed him comfortably ahead.

But Wilder said more recent races with African-American candidates, including his own gubernatorial results in 1989, more closely traced internal polling. Polls may be underestimating Obama’s popularity in Virginia, he said.

There’s going to be some Republicans in Virginia who may not say they’ll vote for Obama, but they will, Wilder said.

‘REAL VIRGINIA’
Wilder dismissed as “foolish talk” a McCain spokeswoman’s remarks that Northern Virginia is not “real Virginia” and John McCain’s brother Joe McCain’s comment that the area is “communist country.”

Asked how those comments were playing in Virginia, Wilder said, “I hope they play them over and over and over again” as they help Obama in the commonwealth.

--Neil Simon
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