Some adrenaline for AG race

For months, the attorney general's race has maintained the lowest profile of the three statewide elections this year.

Not anymore.

In recent days, candidates Ken Cuccinelli (Republican) and Steve Shannon (Democrat) have each grabbed some attention.

Monday, Cuccinelli challenged Shannon to participate in a series of 12 regional debates prior to November's election. In June, the two participated in a debate in Virginia Beach hosted by the Virginia Bar Association. (Shannon's campaign had not responded by Monday night, but he is hardly the only candidate to be prodded to debate multiple times this year.)

Last week, Shannon announced the hiring of Mike Henry as his campaign manager. Henry is a veteran of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's successful 2005 election effort and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner's run for Congress last year. More recently, Henry guided Terry McAuliffe's failed bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Also last week, Cuccinelli called on Kaine to convene a special session of the General Assembly to address the impact of a recent United States Supreme Court decision that forensic scientists can be called as witnesses in trials at which lab evidence they analyzed is used.

In a statement, Cuccinelli suggested that the ruling could permit otherwise guilty drunk drivers and drug dealers to avoid punishment unless state legislators craft a legal solution.

Responding to Cuccinelli, Kaine spokesman Gordon Hickey said "the governor's legal team is working with the local law enforcement community to find an administrative solution."

"Obviously, a special session is always an option," Hickey added "but let's not leap to that without trying to solve this problem administratively."

-- Julian Walker

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.