and more Front Royal rings in the season - Warren County Report

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By Jonathan Lucci
Warren County Report
Publisher’s note: In the 2008 and
2012 Presidential elections, Virginia’s
results more closely matched
the nation’s than any other state.
With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
enjoying record approval ratings
and expected to coast to reelection
in the country’s only other
2013 gubernatorial contest, the
nation will look to Virginia as a
harbinger of whether President
Obama’s re-election was a result of
a better campaign or a sign of the
nation becoming more accepting of
the Democratic agenda. This year,
our gubernatorial election will be
national news for a bigger reason
than the fact that it is easy for the
national media to cover since it is
right next door to D.C.
It seems as if the frenzy of the
01 election has yet to die down,
and the political environment is
already fully charged here in Virginia
for next year’s gubernatorial
battle, shaping up to be the marquee
political event in the entire
country in an otherwise dull off
year. While both sides in Washington
are grappling and positioning
over the looming budget crisis,
and concerned citizens here in
Virginia rightly worry about the
fiscal cliff and its consequences,
events are already moving at a fast
pace for our statewide elections
next fall.
Considering how closely Virginia
mirrored the national popular
vote and our now likely place as a
perennial battleground state, next
years gubernatorial election was
bound to be exciting and closely
watched. But that was before it
became clear just who the two
nominees were likely to be. Now
that we know their identities, it is
clear that the 013 matchup will
be bitter, bruising, and viewed as
a microcosm for the nation moving
into the 014 midterms.
On the Republican side, Lieutenant
Governor Bolling decided
against waging a fight for the
nomination after the Republican
Party decided to switch from a
primary election to a party convention.
It is widely believed that
a party convention tilts dramatically
toward the most conserva-
tive elements in the party, who
are largely supporters of Attorney
General Ken Cuccinelli. Seeing
no plausible path to the nomination,
Bolling dropped out of the
race this week and made it clear
he was disappointed in the change
and make it even clearer that he
doubts Cuccinelli’s electability
in November. For the moment,
the Republican party is rallying
around the controversial Attorney
General and he appears to be the
presumptive nominee.
On the Democratic side, it has
been no secret that former Democratic
National Committee Chairman
Terry McAuliffe was planning
on making another run at
the nomination that was denied to
him in 009. The real question for
the Democrats was, What Would
Marker Warner Do? Senator
Warner, already a former popular
governor, could likely have gained
both the nomination and the general
election win had he decided
to run. However, after apparently
giving it serious consideration
and prompting some speculation,
Warner decided against it and
seems ready to run for reelection
to the Senate in 014. Either the
Senate or the Governor’s Mansion
could serve as a fitting platform
for a possible 016 Presidential
run for Warner.
With the matchup between
McAuliffe and Cuccinelli, the
bases of both parties get what
they want and political junkies
get what they love, a knock-down
drag-out brawl between two seasoned
talents. However, Virginia’s
growth in political importance
has come about largely because of
neither political base but the presence
of a large moderate swath of
voters open to both parties and
scared by extremes. While the
race will certainly be entertaining,
it is hard to believe either candidate
will endear themselves to the
swing voters in Northern Virginia
and Richmond suburbs that will
decide the election. McAuliffe’s
identification with the national
Democratic Party over so many
years won’t necessarily play in
his favor in a state only recently
purple. Certainly, Mr. Cuccinelli’s
outspokenly conservative positions
on social issues will cause
him deep and possibly fatal prob-
Early December, 01 • Warren County Report • Page 33
lems in Fairfax and Loudon Counties.
With a year to go, and both
men capable of raising massive
amounts of money, one thing is
Politics
All eyes on Va. for next year’s gubernatorial showdown
Staunch conservative AG Ken Cuccinelli to face former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe
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