GOP call to rise again

In spite of the rain and cold, a Republican-leaning crowd of about 200 attended last night’s debate in Culpeper between the three Republicans running for state attorney general.

Candidates John Brownlee, a former U.S. attorney under George W. Bush; Ken Cuccinelli, a state senator and lawyer from Fairfax; and Dave Foster, a D.C. lawyer who serves on the Arlington County School Board, presented their positions — many of them similar — in two-minute answers that elicited little disagreement between them.

More of a civil discussion focused on conservative issues and values, the event at Germanna Community College’s Daniel Technology Center spanned more than 90 minutes and ended with Del. Ed Scott, R-Madison, officially announcing that he would seek re-election to a fourth term in November.

All three candidates stressed the need for Republicans to win the office as did former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, moderator. The night was a call for the party to rise again in Virginia.
“My first question ought to be who is your former favorite attorney general and why?” Kilgore joked.

In his opening remarks, Brownlee — a retired Army officer from Roanoke — offered “very good news.”

“Regardless of who you choose, you will nominate a conservative,” he said of the process by which Republicans will select a nominee at a convention May 30 in Richmond.

All three candidates are pro-life, Brownlee said, believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, and are staunch defenders of the Second Amendment. The distinction, he added, is that he alone has experience as a prosecutor, a point Brownlee mentioned repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Cuccinelli, of Centreville, focused on the fact that he is the only Republican senator in the statehouse from liberal-leaning northern Virginia.

“I am a down-the-line conservative with the track record to prove it,” he said.

Elected two times to the Arlington County School Board, Foster said he knows “how to bring to this ticket swing voters and moderates.”

However, he said, even in the attorney general race, one issue will trump all: the economy.

“Virginia will be looking for an attorney general who knows how to cut red tape and streamline regulation,” Foster said, mentioning the 51,000 jobs lost in Virginia last month.

He said he has represented Fortune 500 companies and small start-ups and knows “what draws businesses to the state.”

Following the openings, Kilgore asked 10 questions on topics ranging from abortion and smoking to redistricting and voting methods. Here’s a sampling of the dialogue:

Question: What is the best advice a Republican has given you so far?

Brownlee: “Remember who you are and speak from your heart.”

Cuccinelli: “To listen to each locality for the special needs of that locality.”

Foster: “It had to be, call your wife tonight” and, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Question: What reforms on redistricting would you support? (New districts for the General Assembly will be redrawn with the completion of the 2010 census)

Brownlee: “How these lines are drawn is extremely important to Republicans and the future of Virginia. The first thing I suggest is we go out and win these elections because it’s a lot easier to control these lines if you control (the General Assembly.)”

Cuccinelli: “I have done litigation in election law and I know how complicated it is and also what is at stake.” He said he supported taking the redistricting process out of the hands of politicians and favored “an up or down vote” from legislators on an independently developed redistricting plan.

Foster: The University of Virginia Law School graduate said he supported a bipartisan look at redistricting. “We need to win elections to protect our interests in this process.”

Question: What is your opinion of the state’s smoking ban that takes effect Dec. 1?

Brownlee: “In my judgment, this is a law that need not be passed. The government ought not be getting involved with these types of freedom issues for businesses.”

Cuccinelli: “I do oppose all of these smoking amendments. They overreach.” He also felt the ban would ultimately hurt the state’s tobacco farmers.

Foster: “I think this ought to be a matter of individual choice. Let the businesses choose.”

Question: Do you think state Republican Party chairman Jeff Frederick should resign?

Brownlee: “Nobody has shown me the evidence against Mr. Frederick. There are some serious allegations but it would be inappropriate for me to stand here and make a judgment without seeing the evidence.”

Cuccinelli: “I am staying out of it. I have a job to do this year: hold the attorney general office in Republican hands.”

Foster: “I will not help advance that (issue) if I answer either way.”

Question: Are there additional restrictions on abortion that could be put in place that are legally permissible?

Brownlee: “If you look at the lay of the land, the attorney general will be providing a strong defense of our values. We have a duty to protect that human life and I will go into the courts to protect those values.”

Cuccinelli: He spoke about legislation banning partial birth abortion that he supported, but was recently ruled unconstitutional by the courts and that he would challenge. “There is a fairly long list where have room to maneuver.”

Foster: Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court case that made abortion legal, was a case of “judges imposing their will,” he said, supporting a return to the “popular will” when it comes to abortion.

The final questions covered President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan — which all three opposed — as well as a proposal to remove the secret ballot provision when voting for unions in Virginia.

Again, all three candidates vehemently opposed any change to the state’s “right-to-work” status.

In closing, Foster focused on strengthening the GOP.

“We need to show that we are the party of lower taxes and less regulation,” he said.

Cuccinelli touted his litigation experience and his devotion to the Republican Party in “liberal-leaning” northern Virginia.

“This party ain’t dead yet folks,” he said.

Brownlee returned to his experience as a prosecutor and the fact that the past few attorney generals had been so as well.

“We are running to be attorney general — the state’s top lawyer and top law enforcement officer,” he said. “I come to you from the courtroom.”