Republicans have just one complaint about President Obama’s plan to spend Friday campaigning for Virgina Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello: Why isn’t he bringing his friends?
“I’m disappointed that he’s not bringing Joe Biden,” said House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor just hours before Obama’s planned campaign event in Charlottesville. “And maybe they can bring Nancy Pelosi too.”
Virginia Republicans are hoping that Obama’s visit will do more to rally their own base than their opposition’s.
Perriello faces Republican challenger Robert Hurt for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a seat the Obama administration has relied upon for support since it flipped from red to blue in 2008. Perriello has proven himself to be a staunch foot soldier for the party’s agenda, voting in favor of cap and trade, the Democrats’ health-care overhaul and Obama’s $814 billion fiscal stimulus package.
“The president recognizes that his favorite congressman is in trouble,” Hurt said, calling Obama’s visit a “Hail Mary pass” and “payback” for Perriello’s ongoing support.
The GOP has been gunning for the 5th District since Perriello squeaked by with 727 votes in the 2008 election. With just four days before the election, Perriello trails Hurt by as many as eight points, with Hurt polling at more than 50 percent in some surveys.
Biden and Pelosi are not scheduled to attend Friday’s event.