The fundraising numbers for the second quarter are not in yet, but state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, Democratic candidate for Virginia governor got a serious financial boost last weekend from two major organizations.

According to the Virginia Public Access project, Deeds for Governor pocketed $500,000 from the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) on Friday, June 26, and an additional $400,000 from the Democratic Governor’s Association on June 27.

Deeds could use the dollars, having nearly exhausted his campaign treasury in his decisive victory June 9 in the Democratic primary over rivals Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds will debate Republican challenger Bob McDonnell this election season. But it’s unclear whether the candidates will square off the 10 times that McDonnell has proposed.

“The Deeds campaign will work with community and news organizations and the McDonnell campaign to schedule a series of debates, so that all Virginians have the opportunity to hear the stark differences between the two candidates,“ read a statement released by the Deeds camp late this afternoon.

“We expect the number of debates to be in line with precedent from the 2005 Kaine-Kilgore and Deeds-McDonnell debate schedules.“

In 2005, the candidates for governor and attorney general debated three times leading up to the November election. In 2009, McDonnell is asking for 10 debates, including a series of three debates in less than a week: Oct. 6 in Arlington, Oct. 9 in Roanoke and Oct. 12 in Richmond.

“Creigh is eager to go out and debate Bob McDonnell, but we’re going to do it on independent terms, not Bob McDonnell’s terms,“ said Deeds press secretary Jared Leopold.

Interesting to note that back in the 2005 primary fight for the GOP attorney general nomination, Richmond attorney Steve Baril challenged McDonnell to a series of seven political debates across the Commonwealth in advance of the June 14 GOP primary.

According to an article in the Augusta Free Press at the time, McDonnell’s campaign accused Baril of “grandstanding.“

“This letter is nothing more than grandstanding by a struggling campaign,“ said McDonnell’s campaign manager, Janet Polarek.

To date, only one gubernatorial debate is confirmed—July 25 at the Homestead Resort on Deeds turf in Bath County.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell is calling for 10 debates with his rival, Democratic nominee Sen. R. Creigh Deeds.
McDonnell proposed a schedule of debates across the state, beginning with the July 25 Virginia Bar Association event taking place in Bath County—Deeds’ hometown. The final debate would be held at the University of Virginia’s Rotunda on Oct. 20.

No comment yet from the Deeds camp.

“Virginians are tired of sound bite campaigns. They want to know where the candidates stand on the issues of today. And they want to hear this directly from the candidates,“ McDonnell said in a release.

“This series of 10 gubernatorial debates statewide from July through October will reinvigorate political discourse in Virginia, and ensure that this race is marked by a serious discussion of the major issues facing the Commonwealth.“

It’s June 30, is the end of the second fiscal quarter of the year, and all the candidates have been e-pestering supporters for last-second donations before the latest campaign finance deadline passes.

Here’s some props to the Deeds campaign for at least explaining to their would-be donors why there’s been such a fund-raising frenzy these last couple of weeks:

“We must close the quarter strong. Whether we like it or not, our opponents, the press, and the pundits will judge the strength of our campaign based on our fund-raising numbers,“ reads an email sent by Deeds today to supporters.

Money, however, should not be an issue this campaign, one of only two governor’s races in the country. Both national party organizations have signaled their willingness to pour funds into commonwealth. And you can pretty much bank on a visit by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Deeds’ behalf.

“They’ve indicated they do want to be helpful,“ Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said today on his monthly radio show.

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today was again pressed on his refusal to turn over records of his out-of-state travel on behalf of his unpaid, part-time gig as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

His response to the hosts of the “Ask the Governor” radio show on WTOP in Northern Virginia was consistent with what he’s been saying: I won’t show you, but if you ask, I’ll tell you.

“The governor’s working papers, phone records, travel records, etc., are protected under the FOIA laws,“ Kaine told host Mark Seagraves.

“...I’m going to answer any questions about where I go, and whenever reporters ask, I tell them,“ he added.

Seagraves pressed Kaine on the issue, noting that just because the law, as interpreted by the governor’s office, gives him the ability to keep the records confidential, it doesn’t mean that Kaine has to do so.

“Shouldn’t your constituents expect more than legal sufficiency?“ he asked.

Kaine insisted he was still “very open” about where he is and what he does.

The Washington Post and Republican Party of Virginia both asked Kaine to turn over the records in a Freedom of Information Act request. Last Friday, the administration turned down the request, characterizing those records as “working papers” and suggested that the parties petition the Virginia State Police to obtain more information on the records of the security detail that protects Kaine around the clock, regardless of whether he is on state business or personal business. State GOP chairman Pat Mullins let the legal battle drop, having made the political point, suggested it would cost too many state resources to pursue the matter in court. But Mullins also knows he may not have precedent on his side.

Kaine said previous governors did not release such private schedule details . And no other Virginia governors—including former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who served as Republican National Committee—reimbursed the state for security costs incurred during out-of-state political trips unrelated to their day jobs.

Kaine, whose personal travel is paid for by the DNC, said last week that the national party will also pay for the costs of his Virginia State Police security when he travels on party business.