On Saturday, February 7^th I woke up early for a long and ultimately very rewarding day. It began with my wife and I attending the Women’s Caucus Breakfast - where I was an event sponsor. This event is particularly memorable to me because at last year’s event I began to formally introduce my candidacy for Lt. Governor and I specifically remember that Ms. Betty Coll from Falls Church sat at my table in ’08 and she may well have been the first person outside of my immediate inner circle that I told personally of my intentions.

I then quickly went up to Ashland for their monthly Hanover Democratic Committee Meeting which, if I recall, made my 6^th appearance at a HDC event in the last 12 months. I then quickly retraced my steps to Richmond in time for the State Central Committee Meeting and also stopped by various caucuses, including the Black Caucus, the new Veteran’s Caucus, the DLOV Caucus, the Rural Caucus, and the 7^th District Caucus. I also had the chance to sponsor and attend the VDP volunteer and committee awards luncheon where fellow Russell County citizen, Lee Potter, won the award for the 9^th District. Congratulations to all of the state’s volunteers on their hard work this past fall. It would have been impossible to accomplish the monumental outcome of turning Virginia blue without your invaluable efforts. Congratulations again on a job well done!

That evening finished with the JJ Reception and Dinner where I had the opportunity, along with 3000 or so fellow Democrats, to hear former President Clinton, along with the rest of our Congressional Delegation and Governor Kaine give speeches about the progress we have made so far and, perhaps more importantly, outline the hard work we still have ahead of us. Based on the overwhelming support and cheers, we are all ready to go and work on my personal goal of “3+3=6” (A three-peat democratic win in the Governorship (Warner/Kaine/??????) + winning all 3 statewide races = a pick up of 6 seats in the General Assembly). Our campaign had a video air which can be seen here http://www.jonbowerbank.com/blog/?p=133 I am proud of this one minute infomercial and most folks I talked to gave it high marks. Thanks to my hardworking campaign staff and volunteers I think that we were the only Lieutenant Governor campaign to have signage out along Broad Street – thanks everyone! That night, I hosted our traditional after event party that was well-attended by people from across the Commonwealth. I personally enjoy bringing all “Ds” together after our party’s big events to celebrate our unity and commitment to work together to promote our democratic ideals. I even brought our good luck band – the MoonLighters – up from Hampton to provide great entertainment.

The next morning, Sunday, January 8^th, I attended Mayor Dwight Jones’s Church where he gave a sermon about the importance of accountability and meaning and doing what you say you will. I know he has lived by that creed as a Delegate and will continue to as Mayor of Richmond.

Next, I headed to Suffolk for their 43^rd Annual NAACP Banquet. Afterwards, I headed towards home with a stop in Lynchburg where I met a woman who is an assistant bank manager and whose husband is a teacher. Unfortunately, due to poor economic conditions, they both now have to work second jobs to supplement their incomes to provide for themselves and their one child with their plans for a larger family on hold until the economy turns around. This is the kind of story that I hear all to often as I crisscross the Commonwealth. Personal stories like this further motivate and invigorate me as I talk to folks from all walks of life in for what is now my 14^th calendar month of campaigning for the LG. I continually renew my commitment to work full time (12 months) and tirelessly (24/7) for hard-working citizens like these if I become the next Lt. Governor of our Commonwealth.

This is the video we showed at the Democratic Party of Virginia Jefferson Jackson Dinner

This past week I have put more and more miles on to the campaign vehicle as I have travelled the state letting folks know about my campaign, the issues that are important to me, and that I will continue to go everywhere and anywhere to get my message out to the people. As of this 10 seconds, I have travelled over 75,000 miles and counting.

On Wednesday, February 4^th, I started out at the Loudoun County Democratic Committee and then quickly backtracked into Arlington for their ACDC meeting. Both were well attended and my one regret was that I could, by definition, only attend one (ACDC) post-meeting social hour. Those events are always enjoyable because I get the opportunity to speak with more members on an individual basis.

The next day, Thursday, February 5^th, I travelled south to Richmond for the VML/VACO Legislative Reception held at the Omni. It is always good to spend some time with my fellow city and county government members and officials who are working hard to find better ways for local governments to help their citizens – especially in these times of ever-decreasing budgets and revenues. Right afterwards, I came back up I-95 to the City of Fairfax to spend some time with my good friend Joseph Harmon at their FCDC meeting. Returning to Fairfax City is a little like returning home as I have been to their events more than probably any other committee’s meetings – starting way back last spring.

The Northern Virginia Democratic Business Council provided all of the Lieutenant Governor candidates with the opportunity to speak about why they are running on the morning of Friday, February 6^th. I informed the audience my plans to work full-time (12 months) as LG to ensure that Virginia has the best infrastructure, energy development, and small/medium-size business development possible. That same evening, I returned to Richmond for the State Steering Committee and Meet the Candidates Reception hosted by the Young Dems – where a good time was had by all.

Over the course of the past 13 months of campaigning, I have learned that the political life can take you on a tumultuous road.  With the weather, trips to Richmond, Southside, home to Southwest Virginia, and a special election in Fairfax, this week has been a good example of the ups and downs of campaign life.

From Monday, January 26th until Wednesday, January 28th, I had a bad head cold that kept me confined mostly to the office and a bed.  This was a downer for me as my favorite part of campaigning has been getting out and meeting constituents.  The snow in NOVA coincided with my illness and affected the events I had planned on attending in the first place.

On Thursday, January 29th, I traveled to Richmond for the Southwest Virginia Legislative Reception.  A lot of close friends were there and it was nice to see them, as it always is, but it was also nice to see so many Southwest Virginians there to speak with their representatives about the problems that they face every day.  It was a great chance for the people of Southwest Virginia to give their feedback to their legislators helping those representatives to make sound policy decisions.

I drove home that night and spent some much needed time to finish recovering from my bug and be around my children and wife.  Being away from them has been tough for all of us so I really enjoy what time I do get with them.

On Sunday, February 1st, I visited three churches in the Danville area (Trinity Baptist, Shiloh Baptist, and Divine Grace Baptist) and met with constituents in one of the areas hit hardest by the economic downturn in the Commonwealth.  The key to growth across the state and the area is going to be creating more jobs in the energy and manufacturing sectors.  They need to be sustainable jobs that will be there five or ten years down the road so that Virginia can continue to prosper in the future.

I returned home that evening in time to watch Honaker High School alum Heath Miller win the Super Bowl with the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the next day, Monday, February 2nd, the Groundhog saw its shadow and winter immediately hit Russell County in the form of another snowstorm.  My Board of Supervisors meeting was held anyway and I was glad to be able to attend.

Finally, I returned to Northern Virginia in time to congratulate Sharon Bulova on her victory in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors race.  Fairfax is in good hands with a level-headed pragmatic leader like Supervisor Bulova at the helm.  As a county-wide supervisor myself, I know how important strong local leadership can be to everyday life and the citizens of Fairfax have made a great decision.  Between the excitement of special elections and my own frustration with my cold and the weather, it feels as if months have passed over the last week.  Ending on a high note in Fairfax definitely makes me thrilled with the momentum we Democrats have leading into this exciting weekend.

The majority of my day, Sunday, January 25th was spent in support of other candidates in Northern Virginia.  I started with an event held in the Mason District of Fairfax County and it was packed with activists!  They were all excited about working for Sharon Bulova for Supervisor and ensuring that she gets elected.  Later that day, I was at another event for Sharon at her fellow Supervisor, John Foust’s house.

In between the two, I stopped at Del Pepper’s City Council Campaign Kickoff at the Alexandria American Legion Hall.  It was another crowded event and I was happy to show my support for Del.  Since I entered this race I have worked hard supporting Democratic candidates across the Commonwealth, something I will continue to do.

Hopefully the number of activists at all three events today will translate into a majority of the votes for these candidates so they continue the sound leadership that Democrats have exhibited across Virginia.  As Democrats, we cannot suffer election fatigue or take our success for granted or we will continue to have elections thrown to the courts. We have seen the blueprint for success and it involves a lot of phone banks, canvasses, and grassroots activism.

Tonight marked the joyous final black tie event of this inaugural season.  The Charlottesville/ Albemarle Democrats Inaugural Ball was wonderful, right in the heart of Charlottesville, and had great food, beer and music.  But I do want to say how happy I will be to not be in a tuxedo for a while.

Luckily, I did not have to wear my tux all day.  I began my morning at a town hall meeting that was held by Delegate David Bulova (D-Fairfax) and Senator Chap Peterson (D-Fairfax).  They presented their progressive legislative agenda to a group of concerned citizens and then took questions from the audience.  Concerns revolved around proposed cuts to the budget that have been caused by the shortfall and were especially focused on education and mental health cuts.  These cuts will make it difficult to retain a competitive advantage over neighboring states in those areas.

Afterward, I made my way to Charlottesville.  I was happy to be a sponsor of this event. There was a very large crowd there along with my good friend Tom Periello.  I am so glad to see that the good citizens of Charlottesville and the rest of the 5th Congressional District are finally getting the representation they deserve in Congress.  I had a good time meeting the hundreds of attendees and discussing my candidacy and can’t wait to make a return visit to the city.

This morning, January 23, 2009, I woke up in Richmond with only a couple of meetings before the drive back to Northern Virginia.  As I walked past the large statue of Thomas Jefferson that is in the middle of the lobby, I couldn’t help but think of how different it must have been to be a politician in those days.  I spend a large part of every day traveling hundreds of miles to events where I can meet voters in a one-on-one setting.

Today, for example, I had my meetings in Richmond, and then I stopped in Ashland for a lunch with area constituents.  Afterward, I drove north to Alexandria and the phone never left my hand.  I can’t imagine how Thomas Jefferson and our other Founding Fathers kept in touch with their constituents and supporters.

This has been a long and historic week.  It is amazing to me that just three days ago I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama.  While I am travelling around the state, his dedication and ability to remain energized while crisscrossing the nation serve as an inspiration to me.  There is a lot of hard work ahead and I will continue to take my cues from the great leaders of yesterday and today, like Presidents Jefferson and Obama.

On Thursday, January 22, Russell County held its annual legislative reception. I went to Richmond to participate in some of the day’s events. I started the day at the Office of Drinking Water where I and other officials of Russell County received information about funding for drinking water facilities in our county. About 60% of Russell County receives its clean drinking water via public resources, and in order to ensure clean water for everyone, we try to increase that percentage every year.

Afterwards, I attended the Russell County Legislative Reception. The event was attended by State Senator Phillip Puckett, Delegate Bud Phillips, Governor Tim Kaine, and many other elected officials from across the state. It was a wonderful venue for Russell County residents to come and express their concerns about the state budget cuts and their effects on our locality, which, like many others, will be receiving less money over the next two fiscal years. It was also a great opportunity for Russell County to showcase its economic growth with companies like Northrop Grumman and CGI. Attracting and keeping high-tech industrial companies in areas like Southwest Virginia is going to be a key factor in Virginia’s ability to weather the rough economic times that are still ahead. I am proud that my company, EMATS is one of the employers in Russell County offering those opportunities.

Over the course of my campaign, I have gotten the chance to meet with many groups of active Young Democrats across the state. On Wednesday, January 21^st, I met with the Arlington Young Democrats and have to admit that the amount of organization and activism that was present with this group was astounding. In addition to their already large membership, there were about 20 new members in attendance for their first time.

We talked about the issues that are important to the Commonwealth, making Virginia energy independent, investing in our infrastructure and creating jobs. The discussion went into great detail about the infrastructure we need beyond reducing traffic congestion, including improvements to the energy grid and energy distributions services that will be vital to making Virginia a net energy exporter.

What was obvious from the question and answer period is that these NOVA Democrats are not only worried about their region. They expressed curiosity and concern about how to tackle our transportation and energy problems cooperatively and throughout the Commonwealth. This should send a loud and clear signal that the politics of division, the cynical attempts to pit NOVA vs. ROVA will not work. Working together we can overcome any problem.

Though it feels as if many seasons must have passed since Election Day 2008, the moment that we have all worked for so long to achieve finally came to fruition in Washington, DC on Tuesday, January 20th.  I was lucky enough to be amongst the crowd of millions.  It was an amazing morning and the energy was like nothing I had ever seen before in my life.  We started this process in early 2007 and we never stopped working through Election Day. I was proud to join activists from all over Virginia making phone calls, knocking on doors, and organizing and participating in rallies for President Obama. And it is especially rewarding to run into these same people on my own campaign trail for Lieutenant Governor. The bond that we share will never be broken. Together we changed America.

After the Inauguration, I returned home to change for the Mid-Atlantic Ball.  My wife looked beautiful and it was a wonderful event with good music and good company.  President Obama and his wife stopped by and danced with us. But the President’s message is what I remember most. He left by asking us to join him and “go change America.” It is a great reminder that while the campaign is over and that battle is won, the larger battle – the battle for better government, a rejuvenated economy and responsible fiscal policy – has just begun. That is why I am running for Lieutenant Governor, it’s not about winning an election; it is about making a difference and improving the lives and future for all hard working Virginians. At the end of the day, good government is good politics.