On a conference call with the Deeds campaign and reporters just now, TPM asked Deeds adviser Mo Elleithee for comment on Republican candidate Bob McDonnell’s upcoming rally with Sheila Johnson — the McDonnell supporter who publicly insulted Deeds for stuttering.
“Well, we’ll be anxious to see if he finally uses this as an opportunity to apologize,” said Elleithee. The McDonnell campaign had originally not apologized, though Johnson herself later issued a statement apologizing, after a day of media criticism.
“I think most people agree that her comments were in poor taste. People are confused about why he would not distance himself from those comments,” Elleithee added. “It really was a telling moment in this campaign. It was the only time in this campaign so far when one candidate launched a truly negative personal attack against another.”
Elleithee explained that there have been tough arguments about the issues and the candidates’ records, “but this is the first time the campaign got really personal. I think most people agree it was inappropriate. Who he chooses to campaign with is his own decision, but we’ll see whether he uses it as an opportunity to apologize or not.”
Also on the call, Elleithee sought to dispel the common perception that Deeds has been running a negative campaign against McDonnell. “I’m pretty sure at this point when you add up all the dollars spent and the points behind the spots, our opponent and his allies have run more negative ads than we’ve run ads in total,” said Elleithee. “I suspect they’re going to be doing that right up until the very end.”
