Factoring in Value Voters in Virginia

“Where have you been all my life, Sarah Palin?” is how Victoria Cobb, President of the Family Foundation of Virginia, described the response of value voters in Virginia to the nomination of Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) for the Republican Presidential ticket at a discussion on value voters at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Cobb said that value voters have their principles fixed and they have been “waiting for the right candidate” to support. Dr. Ron Jones is the Senior Pastor of the Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Va. and believes that the government’s bad example of budgeting has led to the “financial slavery of our citizens.” Jones’ interest in the current financial crisis and impending election stems from his concern for the impact that these issues have on families and marriages, which he also believes matters to value voters. The Honorable Brenda Pogge represents the 96th District of Virginia and is currently the social conservative outreach director for the McCain campaign. Pogge defined a value voter as a conservative with a “fixed set of principles based on absolutes”, whereas liberals tend to place their ideals in abstracts, or “lofty ideas with no practical application.” Pogge believes that the Constitution was drafted with the Ten Commandments in mind, and that life and marriage were at the forefront of those laws. Conservatives may put a stronger emphasis on different issues, but the core values always remain intact with value voters.