RICHMOND

Despite recent Republican failures in statewide elections, Attorney General Bob McDonnell said he believes the GOP is poised to take the governor's mansion in 2009.

McDonnell, who is from Virginia Beach, spoke with reporters during a Tuesday afternoon conference call one day after Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced he will seek re-election to his current office, not the party's nomination for governor.

"I believe that we've got a tremendous opportunity, particularly with 15 months, for (Bolling) and I to work together to convince a wide variety of Virginia citizens that our vision and ideas are better for the future," McDonnell said. "We've got an extraordinarily good opportunity to win back the governor's mansion for the first time in eight years."

McDonnell has not officially declared his candidacy for governor but is seen as the front-runner to get the party nod.

Bolling's decision positions McDonnell to court voters and build campaign momentum instead of first facing another Republican.

Two Democrats - Sen. R. Creigh Deeds from Bath County and Del. Brian Moran from Alexandria - are candidates for their party's gubernatorial nomination.

All three men are lawyers: McDonnell formerly worked as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach commonwealth's attorney's office, and Moran rose to the rank of senior assistant commonwealth's attorney in Arlington. Deeds was the commonwealth's attorney in Bath County.

Deeds and McDonnell were both first elected to the General Assembly in 1991, and Moran in 1995.

Deeds ran against McDonnell for attorney general in 2005, losing by a margin of a little more than 300 votes.

McDonnell on Tuesday praised both Democrats as being strong campaigners.

"There are competent competitors on the other side," he said, but noted an advantage that the Republicans have over the Democrats: "They'll work their thing out in 15 months, while we're going to take our case directly to the citizens. I like the position that we're in right now."

Historically, attorneys general have relinquished their office when campaigning for another elected position. In those instances, a successor is appointed by the General Assembly if the legislature is in session. Otherwise, the governor makes the appointment.

Political insiders say McDonnell's successor could be Bill Mims, a former Republican state senator from Loudoun County who now works in the attorney general's office.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com