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running against Republican Eric Cantor. Jones received very hostile press coverage.
Time Magazine published a piece on Jones without contacting him or his campaign, that made fun of him as a Southern caricature. But Rappahannock rallied to Jones as one of their own. Jones was not a native. He had not even lived here all that long when he ran. But he had become a familiar and popular face around the county- tyJones
had a certain pop culture status from his Dukes of Hazzard days, he exuded a certain Southern charm when you spoke to him, and he had been a member of congress before. But as that availed him very little outside of Rappahannock, Jones did very poorly in surrounding counties., getting only 30 percent of the total vote. It appears it was his status as local icon that swung Rappahannock over to his side.
Comparing that election to our current contest for House of Delegates, Blubaugh has much deeper roots in Rappahannock than Jones did-26 years to Jones’ less than ten. Blubaugh has none of the negatives, the image problems and overtly hostile national press Jones had to contend with too.
Helping Democrats too, Democratic Governor Mark Warner is riding high, with an approval rating of 66 percent - sixth highest among the 50 states.
The approval ratings of the Republican presidential administration and Republican controlled Congress are both in freefall as well.
Whether these factors will translate into a bump for the Democratic slate in Virginia is far from certain. - But unlike many recent elections, this one is shaping up to be a pretty tight horse race.
This paper has endorsed Blubaugh for delegate, and he is in many ways better situated than any Democrat in
96.8%