Big News in the AG Race
Primary season in the Old Dominion is shaking up to be quite a rollicking time, as always. One big race to watch on the Republican side is the AG race. Over the past few days a great deal of news has come out, some of which may very well change the dynamics of the race.
First, Cuccinelli dropped the “voting record” bomb on Brownlee, pointing out that Brownlee just recently joined his local committee and voted in the 2006 Democratic primary. Team Brownlee retorted by pointing out Cuccinelli’s relatively weak record of personal giving to Republican candidates and that John was “otherwise disposed” (read: Military service) during most of the 1990s.
In the midst of all this, a number of units had their filing deadlines come and go early this week. Supposedly big, big numbers are coming out of many counties, with Chesterfield reportedly nearly tripling the number of delegates they filed last year. With such big results, all three campaigns are claiming victory–leading one to speculate just how some of the campaigns are counting.
The biggest news, though, seems to be coming on the endorsement front. Congressman Bob Goodlatte endorsed John Brownlee, as expected, although some of the northern parts of the Sixth seem to be leaning towards Cuccinelli. The bigger endorsement, however, came from a FORMER Congressman:According to Too Conservative (who else?) Tom Davis, whose longtime adviser Kenny Klinge has also been aiding Dave Foster, endorsed Foster. This is key in light of the fact that many parts of Davis’s former district have deadlines coming up this Saturday, including Fairfax and Prince William.
Many moderate Republicans, including former State Central member Anna Lee in the 10th, have been leaning towards Brownlee as the anti-Cuccinelli candidate. With Foster getting the Davis nod, there is the chance that Foster may now split the anti-Cuccinelli element with Brownlee. Cucinelli’s strength in the Upper Valley will likely cancel out Brownlee’s strength in the lower Valley, although the big question is if Brownlee will be able to get any sort of significant turnout from the Southwest region of the state. That makes the 5th and 7th the battlegrounds in the coming weeks. If Foster can make significant inroads in these areas, we may have a legitimate three-man race.
Finally, staffing news: Bearing Drift notes that Chris LaCivita has apparently joined the Cuccinelli staff. Longtime Virginia political observers remember LaCivita as one of the minds behind the Allen campaigns. LaCivita is also the mind behind the Swiftboat ads in 2004. I’ve heard the man speak before, and he has an uncanny grasp on the art of persuasion. His hiring indicates that Cuccinelli is in this thing for the general, and is ready to run the sort of tough as nails campaign that will be needed to win both the nomination and the general.
Stay tuned.
