'Wild card' Cuccinelli wins attorney general's race
By: Bill Myers
Examiner Staff Writer
November 4, 2009
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| Virginia Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli waves his "clean sweep" broom as his wife, Teiro, looks on at his victory party in Richmond,. (ap photo) |
Virginia Sen. Ken Cuccinelli swept into the Attorney General's Office with a resounding victory over Del. Steve Shannon. With 94 percent of the precincts reporting, Cuccinelli had won 58 percent of the vote, the State Board of Elections reported. In his acceptance speech, Cuccinelli promised "to stand guard against constitutional overreach by the federal government." He referenced the current national debates over health care and so-called "card check" legislation that would make union organizing easier. "We are coming into office with a mandate from the people of Virginia," Cuccinelli told cheering supporters in Richmond. "We will be keeping a close eye on Washington. I hope we're sending a message." His victory represents a "wild card" in the Republican deck, said Bob Holsworth, a political scientist who runs the Virginia Tomorrow Web site. Whereas gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell ran as a centrist, Cuccinelli was an unapologetic right-winger. "It's probably the most unexpected outcome in the election," Holsworth said. "He's likely to be a very aggressive, very visible attorney general." McDonnell won in a landslide of his own Tuesday night, but "Democrats are basically disconsolate with" having lost to Cuccinelli, Holsworth said. The Fairfax Republican had less money, no real prosecutorial experience and a long record of social conservatism that had hurt other Republicans' prospects. George Mason University political scientist Stephen Farnsworth said Cuccinelli's independence may well haunt McDonnell. "Having Cuccinelli as attorney general may actually hurt the Republicans," Farnsworth said. "If he becomes a major figure and a divisive one, it'll strengthen the Democratic arguments that the Republicans are out of touch." The commonwealth is scheduled to draw a new political map next year and Cuccinelli is the kind of politician that could become the unfortunate symbol of Republican intransigence, Farnsworth said. The victory also lines up Cuccinelli as a serious contender for governor himself. The last four Republican gubernatorial nominees -- including McDonnell -- were former attorneys general. "That's how it works," Farnsworth said. Holsworth said that Cuccinelli's defining moment came after a U.S. Supreme Court decision jeopardized thousands of drunken-driving cases by requiring forensic experts to testify in person. Cuccinelli called for a special legislative session. Shannon dismissed it as a stunt. But Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine called the session. "Cuccinelli grasped what was an extremely important issue. Shannon made the opposite call and all of the sudden Shannon had the rug pulled out from under him by his own governor," Holsworth said.
