Sen. Cuccinelli explores attorney general bid
By Layla Wilder
After representing Virginia's 37th Senate District for six years, Republican Sen. Ken Cuccinelli announced that he is exploring a bid for state attorney general in 2009.He made the announcement at the Fairfax County Government Center on March 31, saying he thinks a win is possible because he stands “strongly for conservative principles.”
“I can explain them in a way that demonstrates to your average Virginia family that I can make a positive difference in their daily lives,” he said.
A lawyer by trade who is known as one of the area's staunchest conservatives, Cuccinelli said a Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Cuccinelli ticket would be “the strongest that Republicans have fielded in years.” McDonnell, the current attorney general, is running for governor, and Bolling is seeking re-election as lieutenant governor.
Cuccinelli, a Centreville resident known as a dogged defender of pro-life legislation, gun rights and lower taxes, was one of the few Republicans in Fairfax County to be elected last November. He beat Democrat Janet Oleszek by 101 votes in one of Fairfax County's most conservative districts.
He said a strong grassroots base and support from more Republican areas of Northern Virginia, like Prince William and Loudoun counties, give him a good chance of taking the region, arguably one of the most challenging for the GOP.
As attorney general, he would fight against illegal immigration and continue his efforts to reform the state's mental health system, he said.