With three Democrats duking it out for their party’s gubernatorial nomination, the tension between former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe and former state Del. Brian Moran is ratcheting up. At this past week’s Virginia Capitol Correspondents Dinner, McAuliffe took some not so veiled shots at Moran’s media man Joe Trippi. Ben Smith posts video of the exchange where McAuliffe says Moran “has an ass named Trippi.” The good stuff starts about four and a half minutes in…
The exchange follows Moran’s surprise attack on McAuliffe at last week’s Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Richmond. Moran told some 3,000 state activists that “we need a fighter, not a fundraiser.” Republicans meanwhile are thrilled to sit back and watch the Dems go at it. Phil Cox, campaign manager for the presumptive Republican nominee Bob McDonnell told me last week he’s expecting “a bloody, expensive and bitter primary.” Shane D’Aprile is Senior Editor at Politics magazine. sdaprile@politicsmagazine.com