Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said he expected his state to be firmly in the Republican column this fall, predicting victory for both Mitt Romney and Senate candidate George Allen.

“Look at where Romney is compared to five months ago. Then he was 8 points down. Now it is a dead heat. The trends are clearly going our way,” he said at a forum hosted by Politico.

McDonnell attributed the change to a high level of enthusiasm among the Republican grassroots. He said he had never seen them so fired up.

He said his party have not only a money advantage “which will be nice to have down the road” but is also outdoing the Democrats in knocking on doors, calling potential voters and other get out the vote activities. That will benefit both Allen and Romney, who will be “tied at the hip” in the state.

Asked why President Obama was running even despite the lackluster economy, he replied that Americans want their presidents to succeed. He added that Barack Obama was a “historic figure” and people did not want him to be a disappointment. Nevertheless, McConnell added, “his policies have failed.”