Ken Cuccinelli: Conservatives' New 'It' Candidate

This past week Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced that he was dropping out of the race for Virginia's governor, but left open the door to his running as an independent. He issued a disappointingly divisive statement that Richard Viguerie called Bolling's Charlie Crist moment.

Bolling took an unfortunate and cheap shot against his primary opponent and now-presumptive Republican nominee, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Bolling's statement was a dénouement of betrayal to his conservative voters and supporters. We have come to expect that from establishment Republicans who somehow feel entitled to support from principled conservatives -- right up to the point that they no longer need us. Bill Bolling was a state senator from Virginia's heartland with eyes on running for Lieutenant Governor when I first heard him speak. At the time, I knew little about the 30-something state senator Ken Cuccinelli from the very blue county of Fairfax.

By pedigree of district, Bolling would have seemed to be the true conservative. After all, which conservatives ever win in heavily Democratic districts except those who compromise their principles?

Back then, Bolling emphasized his conservatism enough to impress me to attend other events. It was at one small event that I suggested to him that he campaign on requiring an audit of state government. His eyes lit up, and he wrote down the idea. That was heartening.

I later attended a fundraiser for Bolling but found no movement conservatives in attendance, just lobbyists it seemed. Bolling would eventually serve as Lieutenant Governor during the governorship of Democrat Tim Kaine, and a second term under the current Republican Governor Bob McDonnell.

“Endangered”

“On the way out”

“Old”

“Out of touch”

When the liberals say this about Republicans, it is true.

But only true about the RINO’s like Bolling. I can say as a Virginian, Bill is a nice guy - friends know him well. But he’s a RINO. Old, on the way out, and out of touch. I only wish he were endangered......as a species that is......

RINO’s - get out of the way, quit losing elections, and let the Ken Cuccinelli’s lead.....

Well, Ken is no Marco Rubio. In his own words:

Over the years, many people have told me that they may not agree with me on every issue, but they appreciate knowing where I stand. And they feel confident voting for me because they know exactly what they're getting: a no-nonsense, constitutional conservative who will watch out for every Virginian.

I've never wavered from defending First Principles. My record backs it up. Starting as a state senator, I fought for almost eight years to get private property rights protected in our state Constitution. I am proud to say that Amendment 1 passed with over 74% of the vote on November 6th, even while the Democrat Party of Virginia tried to stop it.

As Attorney General, I was the first to sue the federal government over the federal healthcare bill. I have been instrumental in changing the role of attorneys general across America to focus on being the last line of defense for our Constitution.

I have a clear and simple vision for my term as governor: Decrease the burdens of government, increase individual liberty, and focus on continuing the efforts of Governor McDonnell on economic development. Liberty in the economy is opportunity. We can't have economic opportunity without liberty.

But to make this happen, I need your help, the help of every single person here. Defenders of liberty, conservatives, Virginia Republicans ... we are an inclusive, yet diverse lot. But we can't get to where we want to go without each other.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.