Danville Dems show their support in Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Sitting on metal risers on stage with about 75 of Rep. Tom Perriello’s most ardent supporters, Danville resident and campaign volunteer Johnnie Fullerwinder listened as the president of the United States echoed to a crowd of thousands what she already knew about her congressman.

Perriello’s campaign selected Fullerwinder and her husband to sit in the group on stage at the rally with President Barack Obama in Charlottesville on Friday night. Obama spoke about Perriello’s hard work in Washington on health care and education, and urged his supporters to vote on Tuesday.

“Tom Perriello went to Washington to do what’s hard, to do what is right,” Obama said. “… When somebody like this has your back, do you have his back?”

The crowd erupted into applause, filling the outdoor, chilly pavilion with cheer. But Fullerwinder said she felt the enthusiasm of the crowd well before the program even began.

“I thought it was fantastic,” she said after the rally, still glowing from shaking hands with the president. “If what I saw tonight as far as enthusiasm goes continues, I know we’ll win on Nov. 2.”

Fellow local Democrats David Harrison, Annette Soucy, Sheila Baynes and others made the trek as well. Thanks to VIP tickets from the Perriello campaign — and waiting a few hours in line — they scored a prime viewing spot in the front row and a handshake from the president himself after the rally.

Baynes estimated about 30 to 40 local Democrats made the two-hour-plus drive to wait hours in line for the rally.

But local Perriello supporters weren’t the only ones to drive for Obama. A group of district Republicans and tea partiers held a protest rally earlier in the afternoon, led by Lynchburg Tea Party Chairman Mark Lloyd.

Isaac Wood, House race analyst at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, speculated the rally might do as much to energize Republicans as it would Democrats.

“It’s definitely a gamble,” Wood said of Obama’s appearance with Perriello. “But when you’re behind in the polls a week before Election Day, you probably find yourself in a gambling mood. The polls I’ve seen have shown Obama’s approval here around 40 percent. It’s not like a no-brainer to have him by any stretch.”

The Hurt campaign hasn’t missed a chance to criticize Perriello’s appearance with the president. The Republican National Committee hosted a media conference call Friday morning with Hurt and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor.

“I believe it is clearly payback for being a loyal foot soldier for the Obama-Pelosi agenda,” Hurt said Friday.

Even Harrison, the co-chairman of the Pittsylvania County Democratic Committee, had his doubts about the political benefits of the president’s appearance.

“I’m actually surprised that he would do that,” he said in an interview earlier this week. “Most of the Democrats in Congress are running from the president, but Perriello is sticking by his guns. He’s proud of what he did, which is admirable for him. It may not be a good move politically but it’s the right thing for him.”

The fervor from Perriello’s supporters was palpable Friday night, with Perriello thanking his “friends from Southside” and vowing that he would ensure Obama “never forgets about Martinsville, Danville, Charlottesville.”

But to get Perriello back to Washington, Obama made clear that the supporters at the rally must spread their message beyond the Charlottesville Pavilion — something Harrison said he and local volunteers were working to do.

“I need you guys to keep on fighting,” Obama said. “… I need you to knock on doors and make phone calls and talk to your neighbors and vote. Because if you step up to the plate, we won’t just win this election, we won’t just send Tom back to Congress, but we will rebuild this middle class. And we will put people back to work. And we will reclaim the American dream for future generations.”