Though not as much of a shocker as the race in New Jersey, Virginia's gubernatorial election looks like it will be another high-profile defeat for Democrats and the Obama administration. A victory by Republican Bob McDonnell, who has a huge lead in the latest polls, is going to strike fear in the hearts of any Democrat up for re-election in 2010.

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With less than a month before Election Day, Mr. McDonnell may have dealt his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds' campaign a death blow with his latest ad. The ad features a prominently displayed "Creigh Deeds Tax & Spend Meter" which spins to dizzying heights as it shows how much money Mr. Deeds' plans would cost Virginia families should he be elected ($7,800). (view the ad)

Perhaps the strongest proof that what's happening in Virginia has both its cause and effect a few miles north in Washington DC comes from the Democratic candidate himself. In a recent interview Mr. Deeds said, "Frankly, a lot of what’s going on in Washington has made it very tough. We had a very tough August because people were just uncomfortable with the spending; they were uncomfortable with a lot of what was going on, a lot of the noise that was coming out of Washington, DC." (source)

Of course this knowledge hasn't prevented Mr. Deeds from continuing to run on a liberal tax and spend platform himself. He's simply laying the excuse groundwork for when he loses on November 3; something many other Democrats will probably be doing next November.