Collegiate Times

Tonight, Virginia's Democratic candidates for governor will descend upon the Virginia Tech campus to debate issues pertinent to college students. The push to focus on the younger demographic has moved to the forefront of campaigns after college students played a larger role in the last presidential election.

"Students and young voters are leading the way for change," said Jesse Ferguson, press secretary for candidate Brian Moran.

The candidates all hail from years, often decades, of public service.

State Senator Creigh Deeds served as a prosecutor in Bath County and drafted Megan's Law, which allowed for public access to Virginia's sex offenders registry. Deeds was elected into the Virginia State Senate in 2001, filling the seat of Sen. Emily Couric who died in office, and is currently working with Gov. Tim Kaine on a plan to cut greenhouse emissions in Virginia by 30 percent.

Terry McAuliffe served as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and has major support for the grassroots movement in Virginia. McAuliffe has been working with a more "business" approach to politics in the state and is working on plans to increase the number of green jobs in Virginia.

Brian Moran served in the Virginia House of Delegates, resigning in December 2008 to run for governor full-time, and has been a public servant for the past 20 years. In the House, Moran was a major advocate for increased salaries for teachers and helped in gaining the largest increase in investment in education in Virginia history.

"Terry is very excited to be speaking at Virginia Tech," said Liz Smith, press secretary for McAuliffe. "He is looking forward to speaking about his plans to get the economy back on track in Virginia."

The problems of the economy in Virginia will be a large issue debated tonight, along with how students are going to be affected once they leave the security of their universities.

"He (McAuliffe) realizes that there is no greater priority than ensuring that students have jobs out of school," Smith said, "He has a plan to create jobs and make higher education more affordable."

McAuliffe's plan for making student debt less of an issue for graduates is currently named the "Scholars for Service Program." The plan entails graduates serving as teachers in "high need areas" for two years after graduation in order to obtain loan forgiveness, Smith said.

Moran's focus will be more environmentally minded, along with a focus on gay rights in Virginia.

"Moran is an environmental leader in the race and is the only candidate opposing the new coal plant," Ferguson said. "It is also the students and young voters who are leading the way in cleaning up our environment."

The debate at Tech will be only one of the stops on the governor's race as they lobby around the state for support culminating in the November 3, 2009 elections. The candidates already participated in a debate in Williamsburg and dueled in Danville Tuesday night.

"The debate will give people a chance to see who has been and who will be standing up for everyday Virginians," Ferguson said, "He (Moran) has been doing this for 20 years as a prosecutor and a lawyer and has announced a host of support from young democratic leaders."

The debate will be taking place at 7 p.m. at the Lyric and will be hosted by the Collegiate Times and the Huffington Post, along with the Not Larry Sabato and Fire Dog Lake blogs.  Tickets are free and available at the UUSA ticket office in Squires Student Center. A live stream of the event will be available on collegiatetimes.com.