Miss. Gov helps McDonnell raise $$

Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi is scheduled to make several fundraising stops in Virginia today on behalf of Bob McDonnell.

Sources in the McDonnell campaign said Barbour will attended fundraisers at hotels in Virginia Beach and Richmond, and another at a private residence in Alexandria.

McDonnell, the Republican nominee for governor, and Barbour are also to hold two media briefings today -- one in Virginia Beach this morning and another in Richmond just before noon.

Barbour is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and is currently vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, which has given McDonnell nearly $2 million this year.

McDonnell will face Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds of Bath County in the November election for governor.

UPDATE: In an email, the McDonnell campaign announced that today's fundraisers netted $250,000.

UPDATE 2: During a press briefing in Richmond today, Barbour predicted success for McDonnell in November despite efforts by Democrats from President Barack Obama on down to prevent that.

Barbour pointed to 1993 -- Bill Clinton's first year as President -- as his rationale for that prognostication. As is the case in 2009, Democrats that year were intently focused on the Virginia governor's race. Republican George Allen trailed in early polls, Barbour noted, before handily winning the election later that year.

This year, post-primary polls show McDonnell and Deeds in a tight race.

"The Democrats are going to try just as hard as they can. The labor unions are going to try just as hard as they can. The left has got a huge stake in this election," Barbour said. "But I believe we can win here just like we did when George Allen got elected."

Barbour said he is not running for president when asked by a reporter. Responding to a follow-up question about whether he is exploring a run, Barbour said his focus is on the 2009 and 2010 election cycles.

UPDATE 3: The Deeds campaign has chimed in with a response to the Barbour visit.

"For a candidate running to be a moderate, Bob McDonnell doesn't seem to have any problem praising the cheerleaders for the old-style Republican policies of the likes of George Bush and Jim Gilmore," campaign spokesman Jared Leopold wrote in an e-mail.

-- Julian Walker

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