From the Mark Herring for Attorney General campaign. Also note that I've got the live stream of the debate in the comments section for this post.
This morning, the two candidates for Virginia Attorney General will square off at the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce debate in a contest that is certain to highlight the differences between the two candidates. The choice will be clear for Virginians: Do they want four more years of the same type of leadership Virginians have come to expect from Ken Cuccinelli or do they want to take the politics out of the office of Attorney General?
Democratic candidate for Mark Herring has been called “a pragmatist who has focused on high-tech research and development issues, introducing bills that would help small firms and entrepreneurs,” and that “the contrast between the two candidates – in judgment, in legal analysis, in priorities – couldn't be clearer. Herring is the better choice to be Virginia's next attorney general.”
Republican Tea Party candidate Mark Obenshain, on the other hand, has “developed a reputation in the Senate during the past nine years as a legislator who favors ideology over the common interest” and earned the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation’s endorsement due to his extreme right-wing record. This is part of the reason why Republican Lt. Governor Bill Bolling has called the Virginia Republican ticket “the most ideologically driven ticket that we have seen in the history of our state.”
Obenshain’s running mate, E.W. Jackson, said that the Virginia Republican ticket is “in fundamental agreement,” adding “I’ve heard that this ticket is probably more homogeneous than almost any ticket ever in the history of Virginia.”
We have seen what happens when ideologues like Ken Cuccinelli get into statewide office. Despite what he is saying on the campaign trail, Mark Obenshain will continue where Ken Cuccinelli left off. In reference to Ken Cuccinelli, Obenshain said they are “‘two peas in a pod, philosophically,“ and that he can “take the baton from Ken, build on his work, without missing a step.”
With such strong ties to the Tea Party, Mark Obenshain – who sought out and received the endorsement of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation – has been virtually silent on the current government shutdown that the Tea Party faction on Capitol Hill actively worked toward. The Tea Party’s actions at the Federal level are an example of the type of leadership Virginians can expect from politicians who support their efforts at the state level.
Democratic candidate for Attorney General Mark Herring has called on his Tea Party opponent Mark Obenshain to condemn the Congressional Republican obstructionism that led to the shutdown of the Federal government. Obenshain has yet to issue such a condemnation.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
