The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
One of Hampton Roads' own is the pick of Virginia Republicans to run for governor.
Party activists gleefully awarded the nomination to Bob McDonnell on Saturday on the expectation that he will end the Democrats' eight-year occupation of the Governor's Mansion.
McDonnell, a former attorney general and state legislator from Virginia Beach, can dig the GOP out of a political hole marked by a series of tough election losses by winning in November.
The thousands of delegates at the convention were eager for that rescue, a fact not lost on the nominee.
"There's renewed optimism. There's renewed enthusiasm. There's tremendous excitement on the ground for this ticket," McDonnell declared Saturday at a news conference with his running mates, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and attorney general nominee Ken Cuccinelli, a state senator from Fairfax County.
As one of two states with a governor's race this year - New Jersey is the other - Virginia will face scrutiny from politicos looking for signs of either a Republican revival or continued Democratic dominance.
Both sides have already pumped campaign cash into Virginia.
"Change begins here," conservative radio and television commentator Sean Hannity told the crowd, exhorting them to support McDonnell.
"The country needs you, Virginia."
Hannity was among a group of prominent Republicans who spoke, railing against President Barack Obama, congressional Democrats and the "liberal media," including references to The Virginian-Pilot.
Criticism was lobbed in the direction of Terry McAuliffe, one of three candidates for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the June 9 primary election.
"He saw Virginia's governorship pop up on eBay, and he wants to buy it," U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, a ranking Republican in Congress, said of McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
In his address to the crowd of nearly 11,000, the largest to attend a state party meeting in 15 years, McDonnell struck a moderate tone.
His speech touched on economic growth and job creation, expanded education options for Virginia students, his opposition to federal legislation to make it easier for workers to form unions and support for offshore energy exploration.
In an appeal to conservatives, he mentioned his anti-abortion stance and reiterated his support for Virginia's law that limits marriage to between a man and a woman.
The other contests decided Saturday were finished after a single round of delegate voting. That rapid resolution suggests a decline in tension between conservative activists and a party ruling class that wants to attract a wider pool of voters to win elections.
In the lieutenant governor race, Bolling prevailed over Patrick Muldoon, an attorney from Southwest Virginia.
The staunchly conservative Cuccinelli beat former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee of Roanoke and former Arlington School Board chairman Dave Foster for the attorney general nod.
And Pat Mullins bested Franklin County attorney Bill Stanley to retain his seat as state party chairman. Mullins will serve the remaining three years on the term of Del. Jeff Frederick, R-Prince William, who was elected chairman last year. Party elders removed Frederick this spring, replacing him with Mullins.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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re: gordonwall
You're confusing your politicians with your Happy Meals.
Everything is about jobs
In this ailing economy, there can be no greater campaign promise. Health care? The more people get private health care coverage, the more jobs will be available in the health care and health insurance industries. Energy? The more power plants, both nuclear and clean coal, we have, the more off-shore exploration we do, the more jobs we'll have in both the long and short runs. Education? The more high school graduates go on to become college graduates, the better, higher-paying jobs they'll be able to get.
Bob McDonnell is a far better choice for a "jobs" governor than any of the Democratic candidates. That is why I endorse him.
http://youngconservative27.blogspot.com/
Pat Robinson
Here we go again. They made the mistake of picking another Pat Robertson puppet who will scare off the moderate republicans and independents just like Mark Early, the last Robertson puppet did in 2002. Come on GOP, give us a moderate who can actually win a general election.
McDonald running for President of Chamber of Congress
From McDonalds TV ads it looks like he is running for President of the Chamber of Congress then as governor for the people of Virginia. The whole ad is geared to letting business run roughshod over the citizens. He has shown time and again that his constituents are the businessman and not Joe the Public. Remember FAI, the company that sold computers but never deliverd, he delayed action until the bank account was drained. Remember the spill at Allied chemical, the company still hasnt fixed its mess and Bob hasnt done a thing. With Bob McDonald "whatever businessnwants, business gets."
Watch for the ..
editorials from the Pilot becoming a routine occurance as they carry the Dem candidate's (it won't matter which one) water at every turn. They do, after all, exist solely to advance the Dem Party's agenda. That is a mission embraced by the Pilot's ownership, and that ownership's handpicked sycophants who comprise the Editorial Board and key (ahem) reporting positions.
I agree w/William but have a different reason
I wish Bob McDonnell would win in November but he is going to lose. He is the typical Rep in Dem clothing. I want him to stand up and get in the Dems face with some of the crap that's going on but he'll never do that. For this, he will loose and we, the people, will have to live with the results for another 4 yrs.
McDonell will lose the general election..
Bob McDonnell is going to lose the election in November. Terry McCauliffe is going to give him a good ole fashioned park whipping. Furthermore, McDonell has no game plan to get the state of VA moving toward the future! Bob McDonell is the same idiot who as attorney general basically ended eminent domain for the state of Virgina. This really cost us progress in Ocean View.