Quick Facts You Should Know
 
“There is nothing in Kaine's record as governor to suggest hostility to right-to-work. He never proposed weakening the law.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/6/12]
 
Allen Voted Against Raising the Minimum Wage Four Times. [AP, 6/23/06; Vote 179, 6/21/06; Vote 257, 10/19/05; Vote 26, 3/7/05; Virginian-Pilot, 11/5/00; SB 834, 2/15/91, Journal of the House of Delegates, p. 1095]
 
“Kaine Wrote A Letter To Republican Lawmakers Promising To Veto Any Bill That Would Overturn Right-To-Work”[Richmond Times Dispatch, Editorial, 2/27/11]

State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business Affirmed Tim Kaine’s Support of Right to Work [Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/13/12]
 
2006: Kaine: “I Strongly Support” The “Enforcement Of Virginia’s Right-To-Work Law.” [Richmond Times Dispatch, 2/26/11]

 

A full fact check of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attack ad is below.

REALITY: Kaine has always upheld Virginia’s right-to-work laws.
 
“Kaine Wrote A Letter To Republican Lawmakers Promising To Veto Any Bill That Would Overturn Right-To-Work.” According to an editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “In 2006 Kaine wrote a letter to Republican lawmakers promising to veto any bill that would overturn right-to-work. It was an easy position to take, since no such legislation ever is likely to emerge from the General Assembly.” [Richmond Times Dispatch, Editorial, 2/27/11]
 
2006: Kaine: “I Strongly Support” The “Enforcement Of Virginia’s Right-To-Work Law.” According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, Kaine released a statement in 2006 about the rejection of a cabinet appointment, he said, “Never before has the Legislature — regardless of which party is in the majority, and regardless of which party controls the Governor's office — ever denied a Governor his prerogative to make Cabinet-level appointments. The Secretary of the Commonwealth has no — I repeat, no — role in the enforcement of Virginia's right-to-work law, a law I strongly support.” [Richmond Times Dispatch, 2/26/11]

REALITY: Virginia received numerous accolades under Tim Kaine’s leadership and the economy performed better during Kaine’s term than during Allen’s as measured in GDP.
 
Forbes Ranked Virginia “Best State For Business” For All Four Years Of Kaine’s Term. The Virginian-Pilot reported, “Forbes.com has ranked Virginia the ‘best state for business’ for the fourth consecutive year, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's office said Wednesday.” [The Virginian-Pilot, 9/24/09]
 
Virginia Was Named Top State For Business By CNBC In 2007 And 2009. [CNBC.com, 2007, 2009]

• CNBC: Virginia “Has What It Takes” To Emerge From “An Economy Turned Upside Down.”CNBC reported, “It has been a year of seismic shifts in American business and in the competitive landscape. An economy turned upside-down. What state has what it takes to emerge from all that? America's top state for business 2009, Virginia.” [CNBC, Street Signs, 7/23/09]

Pollina Corporate Real Estate Report Named Virginia Most Pro-Business State In 2007 And 2009.[Kaine Administration Press Release, 3/19/07; Virginian Pilot, 6/24/09]
 
2009 Pew Study Praised Virginia Budgeting During The Recession, Saying Virginia Was “Better Positioned To Weather Bad Times.” The Pew Center on the States issued a report in February 2009 titled, “Trade-off Time: How Four States Continue to Deliver,” which praised Virginia as one of four states leading the nation in making wise budget decisions during the recession. The report specifically praised Virginia Performs — a program created by Governor Mark Warner and expanded by Governor Kaine — for allowing Virginia “to systematically tackle the state’s budget crisis and increase agency productivity.” As a result of Virginia’s budgeting and management practices, the report stated that the Commonwealth “will be better positioned to weather bad times.” [Trade-off Time: How Four States Continue To Deliver, The Pew Center On The States, 2/11/09]
 
Washington Post: “During Most Severe Economic Downturn Since The 1930s,” Kaine’s “Performance Did The State Proud.” In an editorial, the Washington Post reported, During his four-year term as Governor, “Mr. Kaine's formidable talents, intellectual, political and otherwise, were put to the test” by “the most severe economic downturn since the 1930s.” According to the Post, “Mr. Kaine rose to the occasion. . . . And even in cutting hundreds of jobs and $7 billion from the state's budget, he did so with an eye to preserving the safety net for its most vulnerable citizens. Virginia's financial and budgetary travails have been no worse than those of other states, but its future is almost certainly brighter than most. His performance did the state proud.” [Editorial, The Washington Post, 1/10/10]
 
Virginia’s Economy – Measured By State GDP – Performed Below The National Average Under Allen And Above The National Average Under Kaine.  According to numbers from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Virginia’s economic performance as measured by GDP was ranked 30th among the states from 1994-1998. From 2006 to 2010, Virginia ranked 17th. [Bureau of Economic Analysis]

Unemployment In Virginia Was Lower Than The National Average Under Kaine. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that unemployment in during the recession was consistently two to three points lower in Virginia under Governor Kaine than the national average. [BLS Unemployment Statistics]
 

REALITY: Allen has voted to raise his own pay four times, while voting against the minimum wage four times.
 
Four Times, Allen Voted To Give Himself A Pay Raise.  Since 2001, Allen has voted to give himself a pay raise at least four times. [Vote 406, 10/23/03; Vote 410, 10/23/03; AP, 10/23/03; Vote 242, 11/13/02; AP, 11/13/02; Vote 360, 12/7/01]
 
Allen Has Voted At Least Four Times Against Raising The Minimum Wage. [AP, 6/23/06; Vote 179, 6/21/06; Vote 257, 10/19/05; Vote 26, 3/7/05; Virginian-Pilot, 11/5/00; SB 834, 2/15/91, Journal of the House of Delegates, p. 1095]