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Creigh Deeds | |
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![]() Deeds in 2009 | |
Member of theVirginia Senate | |
Assumed office December 27, 2001 | |
Preceded by | Emily Couric |
Constituency | 25th District (2001–2024) 11th District (2024–present) |
Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the18th district | |
In office January 8, 1992 – December 27, 2001 | |
Preceded by | Bo Trumbo |
Succeeded by | Clay Athey |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Creigh Deeds (1958-01-04)January 4, 1958 (age 67) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | |
Children | 4 |
Education | Concord University (BA) Wake Forest University (JD) |
Robert Creigh Deeds (/ˈkriː/; born January 4, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a member of theSenate of Virginia representing the11th district since 2024, and previously the25th district since 2001. Previously, he was theDemocratic nominee forAttorney General of Virginia in2005 andGovernor of Virginia in2009. He was defeated in both of those races byRepublicanBob McDonnell. Deeds lost by just 360 votes in 2005, but was defeated by a wide margin of over 17 percentage points in 2009. He was a member of theVirginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2001.[1][2][3]
Deeds was born on January 4, 1958, inRichmond, Virginia.[1] The name "Creigh" is a family surname, originating fromConfederate sympathizer,David Creigh, a distant relative.[4] His family moved early in his life toBath County. After graduating fromBath County High School, Deeds enrolled inConcord College. He then entered theWake Forest University School of Law, from which he received hisJuris Doctor in 1984.
Deeds married Pamela Miller in February 1981. They divorced in February 2010, with an article inThe Washington Post describing the marriage as "a casualty of a nearly 20-year pursuit of a lifelong ambition that kept [Deeds] away from home".[5]
Deeds married Siobhan Gilbride Lomax ofLexington, Virginia, in June 2012.[6]
On November 19, 2013, Deeds was stabbed multiple times at his home inBath County, Virginia by his 24-year-old son, Gus, who then died bysuicide.[7] Deeds was initially reported to be in critical condition atUniversity of Virginia Medical Center.[8][9] Although a judge had issued an involuntary commitment order for Gus, and despite an intensive search, no available hospital bed could be found to provide him mental health treatment in the days before the attempted murder and he was released home without the ordered treatment.[10] As a consequence, several changes were made in the screening and admission process for people undergoing an emergency psychiatric examination in Virginia.[11] These changes include 2014 Virginia Senate Bill 260, sponsored by Deeds.[12]
Deeds won election to the Virginia House of Delegates 1991 by defeating incumbentEmmett Hanger in a 57%–41% victory. This started a nine-year career in the Virginia House of Delegates.
In the House of Delegates, Deeds introduced several legislative proposals, including introducingMegan's Law to the Virginia General Assembly, which was passed in 1998.[13] Other legislation promoted by Deeds include environmental protection and anti-drug laws.[14] In 1994 Deeds supported and was a major co-sponsor of George Allen's initiative to abolish parole for those convicted of a felony.
Deeds won a special state senate election in 2001 to succeedEmily Couric, who had died ofpancreatic cancer.[15]During Deeds' Senate tenure, legislation that Deeds proposed includes:[16]
Deeds was also a proponent of a Senate resolution to close Virginia'sgun show loophole, and made public appearances to generate support for the measure.[19]
In 2005, Deeds andJohn Edwards—a Virginia state senator fromRoanoke—each announced that they planned to run forAttorney General of Virginia in the Democraticprimary. Edwards later decided not to run, leaving Deeds as the sole candidate for the Democratic nomination for the office.[20]
In the general election campaign, running against Republican nominee Bob McDonnell, Deeds ran on his record as amoderate Democrat who supported gun rights, strong punishment forcriminals, and thedeath penalty. Deeds' stance on gun control included supporting a ban onsemi-automatic firearms, but that did not prevent him from earning the endorsement of theNRA, which cited his patronage of a state constitutional amendment that guaranteed the right to hunt.[21][22] McDonnell outspent Deeds by almost three million dollars (McDonnell spent $5,962,067 to Deeds' $3,103,585); $2,084,089 of McDonnell's campaign contributions were funneled through the Republican State Leadership Committee,[23] exploiting a loophole in state law that was closed by the General Assembly shortly after the election.[24][25]
The initial result of the vote was 49.96%–49.95%, with Deeds behind by fewer than 350 votes.[26] Due to the closeness of the race's outcome, Deeds asked for a recount. Judge Theodore Markow of Richmond set therecount for December 20, 2005, a date so close to theinauguration that invitations to the event were mailed without a name for the attorney general to be inaugurated. The recount reaffirmed the earlier outcome, and McDonnell became attorney general.[27]
Deeds announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for governor on December 13, 2007.[28] At the end of a close three-way race against formerDNC chairTerry McAuliffe and former State DelegateBrian Moran, Deeds won by a large margin, taking about 50 percent of the vote in the June 9, 2009, Democratic Primary.[29] He again facedMcDonnell, theRepublican nominee, in the November 2009 general election. McDonnell was selected at his party's nominatingconvention.[30] Deeds lost the gubernatorial race by a wide margin to McDonnell, 41.25% to 58.61%.[31]
To date, both of the elections Creigh Deeds has lost were to his 2005 Attorney General opponent Bob McDonnell, to whom he also lost in the 2009 Gubernatorial race.
In January 2009, Deeds proposed up to a $10,000tax credit for businesses that made "job-creating investments"[32][33] and supported exemption of the sales tax on the purchase of solar or wind energy systems for homeowners.[32] He has stated that he will not make a no-tax-increase pledge and wrote inThe Washington Post that he would support a new gas tax to fund transportation.[34][35][36] In 2008, Deeds voted for a bill in the State Senate which would raise the Virginia gas tax $0.06 per gallon over the next 6 years.[37]
Deeds is in favor of tougher sanctions on lenders that dealsubprime mortgages.[38]
Deeds supports removing the "trigger-man" clause, which restricts thedeath penalty to those who physically committed the action, inVirginia capital punishment law.[39] In 2005, Deeds said that he disagreed with theSupreme Court ruling inRoper v. Simmons, which made it unconstitutional to execute juveniles. He argued that it was the jury's duty to determine when and where the death penalty should come into play.[40] In 2021, Deeds voted to abolish the death penalty in Virginia.[41]
In 2006, Deeds was part of the unanimous Democratic coalition that voted to oppose an amendment to the Virginia State Constitution that would bansame-sex marriage.[42] He voted against it because he believed the Amendment went too far in its definition of marriage.[43] In July 2009, Deeds stated he believed "Marriage is between a man and a woman" and declined to say gay marriage is a civil right.[44]
Deeds was endorsed by theNRA during his 2005 Attorney General run over Republican Bob McDonnell.[45] Deeds supports a state ban on civilian ownership ofassault weapons and signed a pledge to repeal the law restricting citizens from buying more than one handgun a month.[46] The law was repealed by his opponent, Bob McDonnell in February 2012[47][48] He voted against theCastle Doctrine (Senate Bill 876) multiple times and previously proposed a measure that would eliminate private sales atgun shows. The bill's proponents called it a measure to prevent another disaster like theVirginia Tech massacre even though the shooter purchased his firearms from licensed gun dealers and not at a gun show. This measure ultimately failed.[49][50] In February 2011, Deeds was one of eight senators on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee who "passed by indefinitely" House Bill 1573, defeating the bill by an 8 to 4 margin.[51] In February 2020, Deeds broke party ranks to shelve House Bill 961 which would have prohibited the sale and transport of assault firearms, certain firearm magazines, silencers, and trigger activators. This effectively blocked the legislation championed by Gov. Northam.[52]
Deeds voted to makeundocumented immigrants ineligible forin-state tuition andstate and local benefits. He voted in favor of designating English as the official language of the United States.[53]
Deeds introduced SB926 to create a seven-member non-partisan committee to oversee the 2010–2011 redistricting plan. In 2009, the bill passed theState Senate, 39–0, but was killed by theHouse of Delegates' Committee on Privileges and Elections.[54] In 2010, the bill once again passed the Senate with unanimous vote of 40–0 before once again being killed in committee by the House of Delegates.[55] Deeds said that, if elected Governor of Virginia, he would use his veto power and amendment powers to try to force the House of Delegates into accepting a version of SB926.[56]
Deeds' 2009 gubernatorial campaign issued a plan called "Better Schools. Better Jobs" to detail Deeds' plans regarding education.[57] The plan called for up to $15,000 in student loans for 4-year college students, and for creating partnerships withcommunity colleges and traditional universities.
Deeds was criticized by the McDonnell campaign for lacking a coherent transportation plan. During the second debate between the candidates, McDonnell held up a blank sheet of paper as a representation of the Deeds plan.[58] Deeds later wrote a column inThe Washington Post laying out his plan, which included the possibility of a new gas tax or other tax.[36]
Using his relationships with law enforcement officers and his experience as a prosecutor, Deeds wrote the state law that has turned the tide against homegrown illegal methamphetamine drug labs. In addition to his work to clean up the Kim-Stan landfill Superfund site, Senator Deeds also wrote one of the most progressive laws to preserve open space and protect the environment.
Roanoke state Sen. John Edwards has dropped plans to seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general, saying he could not devote enough time to mount a competitive campaign. Edwards' decision leaves state Sen. Creigh Deeds of Bath County as the lone candidate for the Democratic nomination, which will be determined in a June 14 primary.
Virginia Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, who is running for attorney general, received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association
McDonnell has been working with lawmakers this year to draft legislation that will require the state leadership committee and similar groups to disclose their donors.
McDonnell became the official winner Wednesday night when a three-judge panel in Richmond Circuit Court certified his 360-vote victory over Democrat Creigh Deeds.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Virginia House of Delegates | ||
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Preceded by | Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the18th district 2018–2001 | Succeeded by |
Senate of Virginia | ||
Preceded by | Member of theVirginia Senate from the25th district 2001–2024 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Member of theVirginia Senate from the11th district 2024–Present | Incumbent |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Virginia 2009 | Succeeded by |