Creigh Deeds, a state senator from rural Bath County running for governor, is picking up more support in Northern Virginia—home base of his rival for the 2009 Democratic nomination: Del. Brian Moran of Alexandria.

Deeds is being endorsed by state Sen. Chap Petersen of Fairfax and the prosecutors of Fairfax and Prince William counties, Ray Morrogh and Paul Ebert, respectively.
Morrogh's long-serving predecessor, Robert Moran, also is backing Deeds.
So are two law enforcement unions: the Fairfax Coalition of Police and the Fairfax Deputy Sheriff's Coalition.

Last week, Deeds won the support of another prominent Northern Virginian, state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple of Arlington, head of the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus.
Deeds was in Northern Virginia this past weekend for a fund-raising cookout, the host of which was moderate Republican Jimmy Hazel.

Hazel, a hunting-and-fishing advocate who is chairman of the state game commission, has donated $10,000 to the Deeds campaign.

Deeds, narrowly defeated for attorney general in 2005, was an author of the hunters' rights amendment to the Virginia Constitution.