Virginia Ping! If you want on or off the Virginia Ping List, please freepmail me.
Posted on 11/25/2012 5:17:07 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The current Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has been and remains a pretty popular leader. His legacy of a decreased unemployment rate that betters the national average, repeatedly balanced budgets, and a relatively evenhanded leadership style will be a tough act to follow, but you can’t run for two consecutive gubernatorial terms in the Old Dominion — a rule of which I am exceedingly fond.
Candidates can’t officially sign up for the contest until January, but several people have already gone public with their political intentions, via WaPo a few days back:
The early fight in Virginia next year will be among Republicans, with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II headlining the showdown to be the party’s gubernatorial nominee. The matchup features an establishment candidate — Bolling — versus a tea party favorite — Cuccinelli — and illustrates the larger battle for control within the GOP. …
Republicans will not choose their candidate through an open primary but at their state convention, which is closed — creating a different dynamic for campaigning. …
On the Democratic side, McAuliffe, a former chairman of the party’s national committee, is the only potential gubernatorial candidate who has made his intentions known. But Sen. Mark R. Warner, a former governor, has been flirting with a bid to return to the Capitol, and recent polling suggests he would be a favorite to win next fall should he decide to run.
But Sen. Warner announced earlier this week that he intends to stay in the Senate and focus on his job there rather than making another gubernatorial bid, meaning that the path forward is clear for McAuliffe. McDonnell, meanwhile, has maintained for awhile now that he’ll be supporting Bolling as his successor, and the resources McDonnell has built up as head of the Republican Governors’ Association are nothing to sneeze at — especially since Virginia has no official limits on who can donate to statewide campaigns, nor on how much they can donate.
There’s been a lot of focus lately on the probable gubernatorial showdown between New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker as the odd-year election story to watch, but almost one year into what will be Obama’s second term, the 2013 election of super-swingy Virginia could be a pretty telling forerunner of which way the national mood is starting to swing ahead of the 2014 midterms — certainly a plot on which to keep a weather eye.
That’s strange that VA only allows a governor one term. I wish it were that way federally. Hey I can dream, can’t I? Hmmm, with Bob McDonnell unable to run again, is it possible he will seek the presidency in 2016?
Dunno, you'd have to ask Karl Rove and the GOPe. They're the ones who get to pick.
I”ll continue to blame him and his little friend Bill Bolling for bringing us Romney ~ who wasted a perfectly good opportunity to throw the Democrats out of the White House and the Senate.
If you like transparently phony creeps like Romney, you'll LOVE McDonnell. And yes, he's running.
No thanks.
I don’t agree, the convention is the best primary method for conservative candidates. People will have to make it to Richmond to cast a vote, and Cuccinelli is one of the best grassroots candidates ever.
I don’t agree, the convention is the best primary method for conservative candidates. People will have to make it to Richmond to cast a vote, and Cuccinelli is one of the best grassroots candidates ever.
“McDonnell, meanwhile, has maintained for awhile now that he’ll be supporting Bolling as his successor”
Bad choice, Bob.
Ken Cuccinelli will be the conservative in the race.
The establishment is going to have a more difficult time trying to get their candidate who is Lt Gov Bill Bolling since we are going to have our candidate for Gov in VA chosen at the convention where grassroots have an advantage. I do like Bill personally but he’s is not the fighter we need to win the race next year. He also was first out the gate to endorse Mitt Romney in 2008. AG Ken Cuccinelli is a smart conservative who has led the charge against the left over and over again whether it be in the opposition to Obamacare, fighting the Global Warming fraud, or most recently working to secure Virginia property rights from eminent domain a fight that AG Cuccinelli led and the amendment won with 74% even though the Democrat party opposed it. I’ve signed up as a delegate to the VA convention for Cuccinelli. It will be my first time and I recommend Tea Party and solid conservatives rally behind Cuccinelli. He is one of us and he is also does an excellent job of articulating our positions unlike some.
If anyone would like to find out more.
My governor, Bob McDonnell, on tax increases for the wealthy:
“The people have spoken, I think we’re going to have to be flexible now. Elections do have consequences.”
May I ditto your statement? RINO’s rule, and then lose.
Cuccinelli has already started a slow drift over to RINOhood.
He is trrying to cuddle up to the hispanic vote and is unwilling to take a stand on the massive fraudulent voting that occurs in Virginia but which no one will admit.
Yeah, but "it's Bolling's turn" (GOPe operative phrase).
Virginia Ping! If you want on or off the Virginia Ping List, please freepmail me.
YOU can have a say in this contest to elect a Conservative governor, Ken Cuccinelli over establishment moderate, Bolling.
ALL REGISTERED VOTERS can attend the May 18 convention in Richmond. You have to sign up at your Republican city/county mass meeting that will be held in the winter/spring.
Fees to attend the May 18 Richmond convention are OPTIONAL.
The reason our now-conservative controlled Republican State Central Committee overturned the Primary and chose a convention is so all conservatives can join us to elect Ken Cuccinelli as our next Governor!!
Bolling wanted the primary, so liberals and democrats could vote for him as the weakest candidate to face McAlluiff.
The convention nominating process favors Cuccinelli, which is why the RPV fought convention vs. (open) primary.
Bolling’s advantage would be the ability to pay the registration and perhaps travel to Richmond costs for his delegates.
Thanks for the link. I signed up to be a delegate.
The Virginia GOP groups are posting on facebook this morning that Lt. Gov. Bolling has decided to leave the race for Gov.
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