2009 Virginia Republican Convention
A few hours ago I arrived here in Richmond for the Republican Convention. The Convention starts on Friday and ends on Saturday with the nomination of candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. Also a new RPV chairman will be elected.
Bob McDonnell is unopposed for Governor. Current Lt. Governor Bill Bolling is being challenged for re-nomination by Patrick Muldoon, a patent attorney from Northern VA who is originally from Giles County in the 9th District. I have no idea why Patrick Muldoon is running such a side show in challenging our sitting Lt. Governor. He certainly isn’t gaining anything other than ill-will. Patrick is a smart person, but this has been such a royally pathetic and ill-advised maneuver. He should suspend his campaign immediately because nothing good is coming out of the process.
Early on I threw my support to former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee for the Attorney General nomination. I think Brownlee has all the experience and personality to make a great AG. Also in the nomination race are Ken Cuccinelli, state senator and patent attorney from Fairfax County, and Dave Foster,a lawyer and school board member from Arlington. All three of the candidates are superb with their credentials. However, I think Brownlee stands out above the rest. Cuccinelli and Foster have been mostly civil lawyers while Brownlee has been a criminal and civil prosecutor, managing large budgets, investigations, and many staff members. This is the type of experience needed to run the VA AG’s office.
On Wednesday evening I along with a few other delegates from Smyth County had the pleasure of having a dinner meet-and-greet with current RPV chair Pat Mullins. The meeting went extremely well and all of us had a good time discussing politics and other issues. Pat is such a great person and seems to have things at RPV under control and getting back on track. I see no reason to remove him, so I will support Pat Mullins for a full term as RPV Chair. I hope he is in it for the long haul as the revolving chairman’s door at RPV must be removed.
Regardless of the vote outcome, I hope that all the candidates supporters come together and go forward toward November as a unified force. We must win all 3 statewide offices and show America that Virginia isn’t ready to be counted in the reliable Democrat column.
In the last few weeks I have sensed a major enthusiasm among Virginia Republicans, something I haven’t really seen at this level in years. Republicans seem to think that we have such great candidates and are going to march to November and put Virginia back on the right track. I think the candidacy of Bob McDonnell for Governor can be compared to that of George Allen in 1993 in many ways. McDonnell is going to be picking up the mess that Democrats Warner and Kaine have made of Virginia in the last 8 years and take us forward to better days in Virginia. Maybe a new Virginia Renaissance?
May 29th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I’ll be there with my family to vote my support for Ken C. — he is exactly what we need for AG…..isn’t it great that we as just regular citizens can exercise our rights as voters in this process? I’m really excited about this, as I want to show my children that there’s more to life than just showing up at the voting both on November 4th…..there’s a whole process out there and I think everyone, young, old should take part!
I enjoyed your post!
Tammy F.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
John Brownlee may be well-qualified to be AG, but his experience as a prosecutor has no relevance. Virginia’s AG has virtually no prosecutorial duties.
And what’s a “civil prosecutor”?
May 29th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Thanks for your comments James.
I would beg to differ with your statement that VA’s AG has no prosecutorial duties. In all criminal appeals cases it is the AG’s duty (usually through deputies and assistants) to represent the Commonwealth before the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of VA. The AG can also initiate prosecutions against businesses and corporations. True, most criminal prosecutions are the initial responsibility of a locality’s respective Commonwealth’s Attorney. But after the case is adjudicated, any subsequent appeals are handed off to the AG’s office.
A U.S. Attorney also represents the U.S. in civil matters such as delinquent debt, tax matters, procedural and regulation issues, etc. This is what I mean by “civil prosecutor.” Maybe the terminology I used wasn’t exactly right-on.