RICHMOND – Virginia Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell warned his fellow Republicans Tuesday about the danger of creating an ideological “purity test” to weed out moderate candidates, a nod to the increasingly important role independents play in Virginia politics.
McDonnell, fresh off a blowout victory that elevated him as a national symbol of Republican resurgence, seemed uneasy with the notion that the party should now turn its attentions to enforcing conservative orthodoxy, as some members of the Republican National Committee have proposed.
“To the degree that we have covenants of limitation which exclude people, we’re going to have a hard time attracting independent voters in the future,” McDonnell said in a wide-ranging discussion with Virginia reporters and editors organized by the Associated Press.
» Big events on the horizon in Virginia:
Dec. 18: Gov. Kaine delivers his final two-year budget to lawmakers.
Jan. 13: Virginia General Assembly convenes its 2010 legislative session.
Jan. 16: Bob McDonnell is inaugurated as governor.
That bloc of voters swung 2-1 in favor of McDonnell over Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds on Nov. 3, and exit polls showed the electorate had gravitated toward McDonnell’s primarily economic message.
“They’ll vote the person, they’ll vote the idea and they’ll vote the issue,” he said. “They won’t vote party.”
The idea of a conservative litmus test was circulated last month by RNC member James Bopp, who proposed a 10-point checklist on issues such as abortion, gun rights and taxes that would determine whether candidates receive endorsements and funding from the national party.
McDonnell joins other prominent Republicans, including RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who have criticized such litmus tests as Republicans determine their candidates heading into the 2010 midterm congressional elections.
McDonnell’s policy success amid a divided legislature will depend on his ability to court the middle. He has made several cross-party overtures in the month since winning the election, including announcing he would keep on Gov. Tim Kaine’s finance secretary, Ric Brown, in the new administration.
The incoming governor also scolded the scolded the media for its aggressive campaign-trail coverage of his 1989 master’s thesis and reaffirmed his vow to fight tax increases that could be part of Kaine’s upcoming budget proposal.
