The three Democrats and one Republican campaigning in this year’s contest for governor of Virginia met Friday morning at a town hall-style forum, held in the populous and politically potent northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

The forum, which focused on issues important to the business community, was sponsored by the Northern Virginia Technology Council and held at Microsoft’s technology center in Reston, about 20 miles west of the nation’s capital.

It was the first joint appearance for the Democrats — Creigh Deeds, a state senator; Terry McAuliffe, a businessman, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and longtime political ally of former President Bill Clinton; and Brian Moran, a former state legislator — and Republican Bob McDonnell, a former state Attorney General.