Another state legislator says Obama will be in Roanoke on Friday, and the campaign offers a preview of the president’s Virginia tour
President Barack Obama
Late on Friday the Associated Press published a story saying that President Barack Obama would visit Hampton, Virginia Beach and Roanoke on a two-day swing through the commonwealth later this week.
The Obama campaign wouldn’t confirm that report, but later in the evening Del. Onzlee Ware said he’d been told by campaign officials that Obama would visit Roanoke on Friday.
Today, Virginia Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, said he’s been told the same thing.
“I understand he’s supposed to be coming in Friday afternoon to Roanoke, and then to wherever else he’s going,” said Edwards, who has served as an Obama campaign surrogate at least twice in recent months.
“Somebody from the Obama campaign called me on Friday to let me know they’re coming through, but I don’t know any more than that,” Edwards said. “I don’t think the details have been firmed up yet.”
Again, we pressed the Obama campaign’s Virginia representatives, but they declined to confirm that Roanoke is on the schedule.
They did, however, send along this statement:
“On Friday, July 13, President Obama will kick off a two-day tour across Virginia. In communities and neighborhoods throughout the state, the President will discuss the clear economic choice for middle class families in this election: between his vision for moving our country forward, ensuring an economy built to last and developing a strong economy build from the middle out, not the top down, and Mitt Romney’s vision, which would take us back to the same failed economic policies that brought on the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. During the Virginia visit, the President will underscore his plan to continue rebuilding an economy for the middle class that invests in education, energy, innovation, and infrastructure — steps that will create American jobs, responsibly pay down our debt and ensure everyone – from Wall Street to Main Street – plays by the same rules and pays their fair share. ”
I also checked with the Roanoke city manager’s office to see whether anybody with the campaign had been in touch regarding civic facilities, police or anything else that might have to do with an event involving the president.
“I don’t have any information I can provide at this time,” said Assistant City Manager Sherman Stovall.
We’re still trying to find out what we can about Obama’s rumored visit to Roanoke and will post when we have more information.
In the meantime, here’s a bit of trivia from Dwayne Yancey: The last time a sitting president held a public event in Roanoke? Jimmy Carter — who headlined a rally for gubernatorial candidate “Howlin’” Henry Howell at the civic center in 1977.
Both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush passed through the Roanoke Regional Airport on their way to events elsewhere, but neither held a public event in the Roanoke Valley during their terms.
– Mason Adams
July 9, 2012 - 4:25 PM
A bit more historical detail on those other presidential events:
* George W. Bush landed at the Roanoke airport twice, once on his way to the dedication of the D-Day memorial in Bedford, once on his way to a memorial service in Blacksburg following the Virginia Tech shootings. I remember a big crowd gathered at Valleypointe to watch his plane take off after the D-Day event. I remember the plane was VERY fast. I blinked and nearly missed its takeoff.
* George H.W. Bush landed at the Roanoke airport once, and was helicoptered over to Lynchburg to deliver a graduation speech at Liberty University. I remember being part of a crowd in the Valley View parking lot watching all the helicopters take off.
But neither of those involved events in the Roanoke Valley; the presidents were just passing through.
So the last presidential EVENT in Roanoke would, indeed, be that campaign appearance that Carter held on behalf of Henry Howell in the fall of 1977. The political oddity of that appearance is that Carter had not carried Virginia in the previous year’s presidential election; in fact, Virginia was the only Southern state he had failed to carry — so I remember some commentators questioning whether he would really benefit Howell. The answer apparently was, no, because Howell went on to lose that fall to Republican John Dalton of Radford. If I have time, I may try to dig out some old clips of that presidential visit. But here’s one final bit of trivia:
The Democratic primary that year had produced an odd assortment of candidates. For governor, the party had nominated its most liberal candidate, Henry Howell. For attorney general, the primary winner was the most conservative candidate, Ed Lane. For lieutenant governor, the primary winner was considered as moderate as moderate could have been at the time — Chuck Robb. Democrats tried to make the best of the situation by dubbing it their “Rainbow Ticket” — this was years before Jesse Jackson appropriated the phase “rainbow coaltion.” I even remember buttons with a rainbow the Democrats handed out.
The election produced a split result. Republicans won the governorship (John Dalton) and the attorney general’s office (Marshall Coleman of Staunton) while Robb claimed the lieutenant governor’s spot for the Democrats.
– Dwayne Yancey, senior editor