Just when you thought it was too early to talk about the 2013 governor’s race, Virginia’s attorney general could already be peeking ahead to the national scene in 2016.
Ken Cuccinelli will headline the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner in May, making an appearance in a state that launched the careers of numerous presidential candidates. The announcement comes on the heels of last month’s CPAC gathering where Cuccinelli, a Tea Party darling, won the National Riffle Association’s “Defender of the Constitution Award” and gave an emotional speech about his conservative ideals.
“We are honored to have Attorney General Cuccinelli join us for our annual Lincoln Dinner this year,” Republican Party of Iowa Chairman A.J. Spiker said. “We recently passed the two-year anniversary of Obamacare becoming law, and the Supreme Court has begun reviewing the constitutionality of the Democrats’ healthcare mandate. Ken has been a leading opponent of this unconstitutional and destructive policy. We look forward to hearing Ken’s insight on this very important issue.”
Cuccinelli filed a lawsuit against President Obama’s administration after the Affordable Care Act was signed. However, it stalled in an appeals court and is not one of the cases currently before the Supreme Court.
Cuccinelli still has a very tough battle in the Republican fight to replace Gov. Bob McDonnell. He’ll face Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who has McDonnell’s backing, in a 2013 race that has already grown nasty and contentious, pitting the party’s establishment against its growing conservative wing.
But governors in Virginia are limited to one term and most use the office as a springboard to higher office. McDonnell has long been considered a candidate for vice president even though his term still has 20 months to go.
And for those looking to build a national profile, Iowa GOP events are a good place to start — past headliners include Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin, Hayley Barbour and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
