Shannon casts Cuccinelli as too extreme
By: William C. Flook
Examiner Staff Writer
October 23, 2009
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| Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, left, faced off with Del. Steve Shannon, D-Fairfax, on Thursday at the final debate of the state attorney general’s race at the Richmond Bar Association in Richmond, Va. (Photos by Bob Brown/AP, Richmond Times-Dispatch) |
Democratic Attorney General nominee Steve Shannon redoubled efforts Thursday to cast GOP opponent Ken Cuccinelli as a conservative culture warrior and enemy of the Obama administration.
Shannon, at the final debate of the Virginia attorney general's race, sharpened attacks on the conservative state senator, who maintains a persistent lead in the polls with less than two weeks until the election. The Democrat hopes to drum up enough doubts about Cuccinelli's beliefs to keep moderate voters from casting their ballot for him.
The Democratic candidate took aim at the Republican's advocacy of state's rights, a philosophy he argued lead to Virginia's efforts to fight school integration. He seized on earlier statements in which Cuccinelli said he would invoke the U.S. Constitution's 10th Amendment to fight national legislation that infringes on state sovereignty.
Shannon, at the same time, framed himself as a "pro-business centrist law-and-order public servant."
Cuccinelli dismissed charges that he would use the office of attorney general as an ideological pulpit, arguing that Virginians want an AG focused on criminal justice and the economy. He said he would work to cut unnecessary regulations, as well as fend off attempts to allow unions collective bargaining rights and erode Virginia's right-to-work status.
Shannon's argument has struggled to gain traction among voters. A SurveyUSA poll released this week put Cuccinelli 15 points ahead of Shannon. A Clarus Research poll found the Republican leading 41 to 33, with 26 percent of voters undecided.
Part of Shannon's challenge lies in the low-profile nature of the race for Virginia's top lawyer, which traditionally receives little public attention. His troubles are common among the entire statewide Democratic ticket; gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds -- who has received the lion's share of the attention -- is badly trailing Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, and Lt. Gov. Jody Wagner is lagging behind incumbent Bill Bolling.
