Creigh Deeds, Millionaire Philanthropist?

Is Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds a secret millionaire?

A comment by one of his campaign spokespeople in a Charlottesville newsweekly suggests that this may be the case.

In an article by Caitlin Speaker on how the election of a new governor might affect the University of Virginia we find this statement:

Deeds, meanwhile, stands by his existing record of University support, says Deeds spokesperson Jared Leopold. “He has already invested millions in higher ed and it’s something UVA has seen,” Leopold says. “He has a particular affinity for the University.”

Now, a look at Deeds' personal finance reports (something required of candidates for public office and elected officials) indicates that he is a man of modest means. There is no suggestion that he has the wherewithal to invest "millions" in higher education.

Does Deeds have a hidden source of wealth that he, in turn, pumps into college and university budgets?

I already anticipate the comment that Jared Leopold meant that Deeds, as a member of the General Assembly, supported or introduced legislation to appropriate tax dollars to higher education projects.

But that is not what Leopold said. He did not say that Deeds "took other people's money and reallocated it to education programs that he personally favored."

No, Leopold said "he" (meaning Creigh Deeds as an individual) "invested millions in higher ed."

The only conclusion one can draw from this plain language is that Creigh Deeds is a multimillionaire philanthropist who has kept his generous eleemosynary activities under wraps for many years.



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