I have known Sen. Deeds for many years, going back to when he was in the House of Delegates. He is a great guy. He was responsible for the amendment to the state constitution preserving the right to hunt and fish in Virginia (a totally unnecessary amendment, but you never know).
Deeds lives in the state’s least populous county, Bath County, where there are natural hot springs and the Homestead resort. About 3,000 people live there, I think. It is against the West Va line.
I have never met his son.
Deeds ended up in a recount in his race for attorney general, losing by about 400 votes, I think. He lost to the man now governor, McDonall.
Having property and soon to take up permanent residence in the adjacent Highland County (which actually is the least populous, rather than its neighbor Bath County) I know a lot of people who are on a first name basis with Deeds. He is by all accounts a charming and friendly fellow, yet an old time collectivist at heart. Like my current Congressscum Stunted Hoyer, I suspect Deeds has moved fairly far left as he “Grew in office.”
The destruction wrought on a family by the lifelong pursuit of power is truly corrosive, which is why sensible people avoid the siren song of politics.
My first thought when hearing the news, even without any familial strife context, was that this was drug-related. A lot of the youngsters in rural America are willing consumers of meth and crack.