2009 Convention Results (With CD Breakdowns)

The grand total results for the convention have been available for a while. I first saw them on the AP. Pat Mullins also e-mailed out the final results for each race a few days ago. Also the congressional district breakdown for the attorney general race was first released published by Not Larry Sabato and Shaun Kenney. However here is the results with the congressional district breakdowns for each of the three races. (To the best of my knowledge it is the first time the complete results have been posted online.) I was waiting for a little while on talking about the results in the hope that I could get hold of the results from the different units and analyze that. It seems however that certain members of the executive committee very vehemently opposed releasing these results and they are unavailable.

The first thing about these results is how well each of the victors did. Bolling, Cuccinelli, and Mullins won by 84%, 57%, and 70% respectively. It was also very gracious of Muldoon, Brownlee, Foster, and Stanley to concede and pledge to work for and with their former opponents. I am confident the success of our nominees and the graciousness of their challengers will unite our party over the summer, and towards victory in the fall.

In the Lieutenant Governor's race a couple things stand out. First off Bolling didn't do poorly in any congressional district. The lowest he received in any cd was 73.3%. Any candidate would love for that to be their lowest return in a district. Another thing that stands out is how poorly Patrick Muldoon did in the 9th district. In his home district he received 11.19% of the vote, and it was his 9th strongest congressional district. There were only two districts where he received a lower percent of the vote: the 8th and 3rd districts. I was honestly shocked as I expected Muldoon would beable to bring a lot of supporters to the convention from the 9th. Either the letter sent out by the 9th district leaders did in Muldoon, or he is just not very popular or well known in his home district. The other interesting thing is that Muldoon took the highest percent in the 10th district. With 202.39 weighted votes he took 26.7%, 10.33% better than he did statewide. I'm not sure exactly why Mulddon did that well in the 10th district, but maybe 10th district voters are itching for a change and are becoming sick of the establishment for some reason.

In the Attorney General race Ken Cuccinelli won eight of the eleven congressional districts, and came in second in the three he lost. John Brownlee won the 9th and the 4th, and Dave Foster won the 8th. There were also only two congressional districts Ken won where he received less than 50%. They were the 3rd and the 5th districts. Keeping Ken below 50% in the congressional districts he won was an essential part of the Brownlee/Foster plan to force a second ballot. They were atleast successful in two of the eight districts Ken won. Ken took over 65% in the 7th, 11th, and 1st districts and over 60% in the 10th and 6th districts. While Ken's home district is the 11th, the 7th gave Ken the highest percentage of the vote based in part on a surprisingly large victory in Chesterfield Co. Both Ken and Dave Foster won their home districts, the 11th, and 8th. John Brownlee only pulled 38.45% in the 6th district where he resides. Ken was able to win Salem and Roanoke cities, and almost took Roanoke county from John Brownlee. While John lives in the 6th district some would consider the 9th his home district since he has worked their as a prosecutor for a while, and he was able to win the 9th with 63.03% of the vote. However a win in the 9th only does you so much when it has about 700 less delegate votes than the 11th district.

From a campaigning perspective one of the important lessons of Ken's convention victory is the importance of building a statewide network. In a primary you can jack up vote totals in high density localities to win. In a convention each locality is assigned a certain number of votes. This forces you to compete in every location if you want to win, and you need to try to get a significant percentage of each localities votes. Ken's statewide network that the convention forced him to create enabled him to compete in every single district, and will hopefully be the backbone that propels him to victory in November. Ken's extensive political connections as an active state senator almost guaranteed him victories in Loudon, Fairfax, and Prince William counties as soon as he announced. Having the political connections heading into the race enabled him to win these three large localities easily. Political connections are something any candidate needs to develop before running an effective campaign for statewide office.

While the chairmanship race was more of a contest than the Lieutenant Governor's race, Pat Mullins and co pretty well swept the floor. There are two things that jump out though. Bill Stanley almost won his home congressional district. He took 48.84% in the 5th district which is a very solid showign for an underdog with only three weeks to campaign. The congressional district where Stanley did second best was the 11th district where he took 36.05%. The 11th district is the district Prince William County votes in, and it was one of the few ways Jeff Frederick's supporters had an opportunity at the convention to protest what happened to Jeff this past spring.

That's as much as I can draw out of the congressional breakdowns for the convention results. I'm hcurious to here what you think the results say. Also it would be very nice in future conventions to have access to unit results so that we can analyze them and see where candidates strengths are in each district, and what correlations and trends the unit results tell us. Hopefully this is something we will have access to after the next convention whenever that may be.

On one final note it will be interesting to see if Deeds and his statewide network and connections can pull of a victory tomorrow.

New Bolling Endorsements

A few days ago the Bolling campaign sent out an e-mail in which the Republican leaders in the 9th Congressional District came out in support of Bill Bolling. These are the people who know Patrick Muldoon best. They called on Patrick Muldoon to stop his "slash and burn" campaign tactics. By this they mean that Muldoon never lays out his record on the issues but simply attacks Bolling. Nomination contests are meant to be a clash of ideas not an opportunity to attack a party leader.

Today, exactly two weeks out from the convention, Bill Bolling announced a new set of endorsements. The e-mail included endorsements from Mike Farris, the NRA, Virginia Society for Human Life, and a quote by Victoria Cobb of the VA Family Foundation.

"I am pleased to endorse Bill Bolling's re-election as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Bill has been a clear and consistent voice for the conservative values we believe in. Bill knows that we need to improve the quality of the educational opportunities we provide to our children, and he has been a strong supporter of educational choice and the rights of parents to home school their children. I am pleased to give Bill my support, and I encourage you to do the same." Mike Farris, Homeschool Lawyer

“On behalf of the over 100,000 members of the National Rifle Association in Virginia, I am pleased to announce your NRA-PVF endorsement for the 2009 Virginia Republican Convention. Your exemplary record of past service in the Virginia Senate and as Lieutenant Governor clearly illustrates your commitment to protecting the rights of law-abiding firearm owners and sportsmen. Based upon your proven record and firm pledge to continue to serve as an advocate for Virginia’s law-abiding gun owners, you have earned an “A+” rating from the NRA-PVF.” Andrew Jennison, NRA-ILA Virginia State Liaison (May 11, 2009 Letter to Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling)

“The Virginia Society for Human Life Political Action Committee (VSHL PAC) is pleased to endorse you for reelection to the office of Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
During your term as Lieutenant Governor, you have advanced and defended pro-life principles. We particularly appreciate the deciding vote you cast on the amendment to the 2008 Virginia budget that would have banned taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, which operates the largest chain of abortion facilities in the United States.” Holly Smith, Chairman, Virginia Society for Human Life PAC (May 14, 2009 Letter to Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling)

“I can honestly say that no elected official in Virginia did more to encourage the passage of the [Marriage] Amendment than you. Your willingness to participate in va4marriage.org events and fundraisers was critical to our success, as was your personal contribution of radio ads across Virginia. Your passionate advocacy for traditional marriage clearly contributed to our victory.” Victoria Cobb, Executive Director, Family Foundation of Virginia (Nov 10, 2006 Letter to Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling. The Family Foundation does not endorse candidates for elected office.)

It is great to see these conservative groups and leaders coming out in strong support for Bill Bolling. I hope you will join the conservatives from across this state in supporting Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor at the convention, and throughout the long campaign season afterwards.

Bolling for Lieutenant Governor - Setting the Record Straight on the Life Issue

Earlier I wrote about the attacks on Bolling's record and why I support Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor. Attorney General. In a recent e-mail, Mark Obenshain responds to yet another e-mail from the Muldoon campaign and lays out Bolling's record on social issues. Coming from someone who has worked with Bolling for years in the state senate I think it is definitely a must read article. I hope you will join with me in voting for Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor at the RPV state convention on May 30th.

Friends,

You may have recently received an email from Patrick Muldoon, who is running against Bill Bolling for the nomination for Lieutenant Governor. That email is full of so much inaccurate information that I felt compelled to write and set the record straight.

While I always welcome competition as a method to strengthen our party, and
while I believe that we must hold our public officials accountable for their stances, it cannot be at the expense of the truth.

I’m sad to say that a small group, determined to derail our victory in November, appear to be attempting to smear and falsely attack a man who has been a faithful friend to our conservative cause, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling.

I have known Bill Bolling and served with him in the Senate for years, and I can tell you that his opponent is not telling the truth about Bill’s record.

Let me set the record straight, point by point.

Claim: Bill did not oppose making the Plan B Morning After pill available to minors.

Truth: Bill Bolling has consistently opposed making the morning
after pill available to minors.

While his opponent has no record on Plan B, as a member of the State Senate
Bill Bolling:

• Voted to require parental consent before minors can get Plan B
• Voted against allowing Plan B to be distributed over the counter without a
  physician's prescription
• Voted against allowing Plan B to be distributed on Virginia's college
  campuses

Claim: Bill supported mandatory HPV vaccinations for grade-schoolers.

Truth: Bill Bolling has never supported mandating HPV vaccinations
for grade-schoolers, or anyone else for that matter.

In fact, when legislation to mandate the HPV vaccine was introduced in the General Assembly Bill publicly stated his opposition to that legislation and he fought for the no-cause parental opt-out that was ultimately included in the legislation that passed the Senate 40-0. Bill’s position was consistent with the position of The Family Foundation and the Catholic Diocese of Virginia: that parents should be made aware of the link between HPV and cervical cancer, but the vaccination should be a choice that each parent makes for themselves.

Claim: Bill campaigned around the state supporting the HPV vaccine in exchange for contributions from its manufacturer, Merck Pharmaceuticals.

Truth: Bill has never encouraged anyone to get the HPV vaccine.

In 2007, Lieutenant Governor Bolling and his wife, Jean Ann, participated in a bi-partisan national effort called “Ending Cervical Cancer in Our Lifetime.” This program was sponsored by the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association and was aimed at helping women make the connection between the HPV virus and cervical cancer. The program encouraged women to go to their doctors for regular cervical cancer screenings. It did not encourage anyone to get the HPV vaccine. And by the way, the last campaign contribution Bill recieved from Merck was $500, and that was six years ago!

Claim: Bill supports a “hook-up cultural agenda” of promiscuity and unprotected sex, and he is a “favorite Republican” of Planned Parenthood.

Truth: This one is simply laughable.

Bill Bolling is one of our most consistent conservative leaders. He is a family man, a dedicated Christian and a Sunday School teacher. He fought Tim Kaine’s attempts to eliminate state funding for abstinence education. He cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of denying state funds to Planned Parenthood. But there are probably two statistics that sum it up best:

Bill Bolling has a 100% lifetime rating from the Virginia Society for
Human Life.

Bill Bolling has a 0% lifetime rating from NARAL/Planned
Parenthood.

It is unfortunate that Patrick Muldoon feels the need to mangle the record of a good man in order to further his campaign, but the sad truth is that he has no positive record to stand on. By contrast, Bill Bolling’s record speaks for itself:

• 100% pro-family voting record from The Family Foundation
• Endorsed by the Virginia Society for Human Life (2005)
• Supported parental notification and consent legislationSupported a ban on
  partial birth abortions
• Supported higher patient safety standards for abortion clinics
• Cast the tie-breaking vote to deny state funding to Planned Parenthood
• Fought to restore abstinence education funding that Governor Kaine stripped
  from the budget
• Led the fight to pass the Marriage Amendment

That’s a solid conservative record that we can be proud of.

A little over a year ago Bill Bolling put aside his personal ambitions and decided not to seek the Governor’s Mansion. Our party has benefited greatly from Bill’s sacrifice. Perhaps others should follow his example.

If we are going to win in November, we have no time for the politics
of negativity and personal destruction.

I’m proud to support Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and I urge you to do so as well.

Senator Mark Obenshain

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor

Recently Patrick McSweeney made the headlines by sending out an e-mail urging delegates to support Patrick Muldoon for Lieutenant Governor at the RPV State Convention. So far the entire "case" for Patrick Muldoon has been comprised of nothing but criticisms of Bill Bolling. I have repeatedly asked Muldoon supporters to tell me the reason I should vote FOR Muldoon as opposed to just why I should just vote against Bolling. The only response I have heard is a deafening silence.

There are two things I like to find in an ideal candidate: a commitment to conservative principles, and an ability to get elected. No case can be made that Muldoon has a better chance of being elected than Bill Bolling. Bolling has already shown he can win the Lieutenant Governorship, and has posted solid fundraising numbers (especially when compared to Muldoon). Muldoon has yet to win a single election. He lost bis bid for VA's 9th Congressional seat, lost in a race for Commonwealth Attorney, and his highest elected office is alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention.

Since Muldoon can not try to win on electability all he can try to win on is ideological purity. I am definitely an conservative who believes people should be true conservatives not just suddenly conservative during election season. That is why I have worked hard for Cuccinelli, Jeff Frederick, and Mike Huckabee among others. However Muldoon is just as ideologically impure as he claims Bolling is and does not have the long record of accomplishments that Bolling has. Earlier his connections to Barr Labs and the gambling industry were brought to light. Now Bearing Drift is reporting that Muldoon received over $10,000 from a group that has Barr Labs as a client, and has made donations to Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and others pro-choice Democrats. If Patrick Muldoon wants to have the audacity to criticize Bill Bolling for not being ideologically pure, he needs to make sure his own house is in order first.

Bolling has a record of voting pro-life. He opposed the Warner tax increase when most Republican senators supported it. He actively opposed Tim Kaine's tax hikes and has actively supported Republicans across the commonwealth. He also had the wisdom to not step into the Jeff Frederick fight. Bolling has a proven record on the issues. He has proven his conservative credentials time and again and as a result I am proud to support him. If you are a conservative then please support one of your own, over a political unknown with huge question marks. This is our opportunity to create a strong ticket, sweep the executive offices, and increase our majority in the House of Delegates along the way.

Patrick (McSweeney) on Patrick (Muldoon)

The day after the state central committee removed Jeff Frederick, Patrick McSweeney issued a letter supporting Patrick Muldoon for Lieutenant Governor in what appeared to be an attempt to capitalize on the growing discontent in many conservatives. While Patrick McSweeney went to far, he definitely turned heads with his letter. Mason Conservative came out very strongly against McSweeney on this issue, and Tertium Quids agreed with McSweeney in part and disagreed with him in part.

McSweeney made some good points about the new direction of the RPV, especially it's lack of support for social issues. However Mason Conservative very accurately pointed out that going after Bolling for these problems and with Muldoon seems rather counterproductive.

While the RPV definitely has problems, Bolling has proven himself time and again to be a true conservative, and he has a very good chance at winning in the fall. Patrick Muldoon on the other hand has never been able to win an election, and has few real accomplishments and achievements that could make him a better nominee than Bolling. Honestly I have yet to see a real reason to vote for Muldoon. The only reason I see is that someone has a nitpicky problem with Bolling, or is trying to lodge a protest vote against McDonnell. Neither of those reasons though are reasons to support Muldoon only possible reasons to oppose Bolling.

NOMINATION OF PATRICK MULDOON

I make no pretense that this is the usual nomination speech. Frankly, I’m tired of the usual political speech.

As a party, we simply must begin to talk in a very different way than we have in recent campaigns or we will continue to lose ground.

We all know that the Republican Party today has no clear brand. The choice
is whether to develop a new one or to rediscover our tradition, but abandoned
brand.

That is not the only choice. The more important choice is whether incumbents and their consultants or the grassroots should decide what our brand should be instead of the grassroots.

I nominate Patrick Muldoon for Lieutenant Governor because he is committed
to the Party’s principles; to building a grassroots party and to having the
grassroots decide the most important questions facing us.

Patrick is an exceptionally capable, intelligent and hardworking fellow. Born and raised in Southwest Virginia on a family farm, he has earned both an engineering degree and law degree. In 1996 and 1998, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Democrat Rick Boucher in the 9th District. It also took George Washington and Vance Wilkins three tries each to win their first elections.

Patrick’s opponent is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor, Bill Bolling, who has forgotten that having a strong grassroots party means that elected officials must be accountable to the grassroots. After the 2008 Republican State Convention, Patrick’s opponent and an elite few decided that this convention should be as closed and restricted as possible. They decided that they, not the grassroots, would decide who our standbearers would be in 2009.

During the summer of 2008, this group of elites devised a Call for the 2009 convention that would make it very difficult for any candidates to enter the field who had not already announced. They used the only meeting of the State Central committee during the 2008 campaigns between May and November to push through the Call. Instead of planning to help our 2008 candidates, the Central Committee devoted almost its entirety of its September 2008 meeting to controversial procedural issues that had nothing to do with the 2008 elections.

As a result, a great deal of the Party’s energy and focus during the closing weeks of the 2008 campaigns was diverted from the essential tasks of enhancing turnout and promoting our candidates to organizing for the 2009 nomination contests. Lining up petition drives for 2009 candidates, raising money for 2009 candidates and generally speculating about 2009 had never before been allowed to interfere with the immediate challenge of winning the elections only weeks away.

What this group of elites never acknowledged was that they were abandoning
an unspoken, but reasonable and longstanding rule that all of our energy and focus be devoted to the elections at hand. Candidates for nomination in future races generally honored that rule. Patrick’s opponent and others in this group of elites put personal ambition and other concerns ahead of the best interests of our 2008 candidates and the best interests of the Party.

What is equally troublesome is that Bill Bolling and others in the elite group do not believe that Bolling should be required to account either for his past actions and positions or for the positions he intends to take during the 2009 campaign if he is nominated. The obvious conclusion is this: Patrick’s opponent and his elite group don’t want a public discussion about what our brand should be. They and only they will decide.

I am impressed with Patrick’s background and ability. Even more, I am impressed with his commitment to our principles and his willingness to hold fast to them in the face of vigorous opposition. I am impressed that he wants to rebuild this Party as a true grassroots party.

I am greatly disturbed that Bill Bolling has decided to abandon, downplay or remain silent about the principled positions that the grassroots of this Party has repeatedly
endorsed. His consultants have advised him that he cannot win the general election by advocating our well-established positions on social issues, limited government and individual liberty.

The new Republican message, we are told, must be that Republicans are better equipped than Democrats to solve people’s everyday problems.

Please take a moment to reflect on this new message. It necessarily means that ours has become a radically different party. We are no longer committed to encouraging individuals, families, religious organizations, voluntary associations and the free market to solve our problems. We will now look first to government to solve our problems, just as Democrats do. Our new brand is that Republicans can give people better government and maybe just a little bit less government than the Democrats. No matter how it is dressed up, that means expanding government.

This new brand is not one that the grassroots of the Party has ever embraced. Why should we blindly accept the brand chosen by Party elites?

Bill Bolling has decided that Republicans should either hide or compromise their positions on social issues. He never consulted the grassroots about that. We want candidates who will unapologetically defend those positions, not act as if they are afraid of them.

President Obama has reversed executive orders issued by President Bush to protect human life. Where are the Republican leaders who should be challenging President Obama for his actions?

Because many of our elected officials went along with higher government debt and spending while Republicans controlled the General Assembly, Congress and the White House, the Party has little credibility now when it calls for limiting government. The grassroots never endorsed this abandonment of the central principle of our Party, but we have not held our elected officials accountable for doing so.

At a time when the Democrats are further diminishing the role of the states in our federal system, where are our Republican leaders? Where is Bill Bolling? Is federal stimulus money so precious that Virginia should meekly accept any conditions that President Obama and Congress attach to the receipt of that money?

At a time when we face a serious threat of being disarmed by our government, where is Bill Bolling?

Because so few of our Republican elected officials and candidates actually understand or are willing to stand up for our principles, voters fail to appreciate the role that individuals, families, religious organizations, voluntary groups and the free market should play in solving problems. This has meant that the debate has been reduced to whether Republicans or Democrats are better suited to providing government solutions. Is it any wonder our Party is losing ground?

When we most need committed, articulate and principled candidates, too many of our candidates are listening to consultants who tell them not to tie themselves to controversial social issues or to advocate limited government because polls indicate that voters are opposed to those positions. Our candidates should be changing public opinion, not compromising our principles to placate public opinion.

The contest for the nomination for Lieutenant Governor offers a clear
choice.
· Patrick will campaign to
protect human life from conception to natural death.
· Bill Bolling has said that
Republicans must downplay their traditional positions on social issues in order
to win.
· Patrick wants to return to
traditional conservative principles of personal responsibility, community
self-help, parental control and reliance on private initiative and enterprise to
solve our everyday problems.
· Bill Bolling has a platform
that proposes new legislation to solve the citizens’ everyday problems and has
supported intrusive measures such as the human papillomavirus vaccination
legislation.
· Patrick opposes legislation,
such as the 2007 transportation statute (H.B. 3202), that provides for the
imposition of taxes by unelected bodies, abusive driver fees and billions of
tax-backed debt without voter approval.
· Bolling supported H.B. 3202 in
2007.

The grassroots should choose candidates who will change minds, not change our principles. Patrick’s opponent has already decided that he will not be that kind of candidate.

That is why I am nominating a courageous young man who is fully prepared to defend our principles, even when the public appears to oppose them. I ask you support Patrick Muldoon. Let’s restore the proper, traditional conservative Republican brand that has brought us statewide victories in the past.

Thank you.

Patrick McSweeney

The Case for Patrick Muldoon

When I saw this article on Bearing Drift, I couldn't help but republish it.

Patrick Muldoon = hypocrite

By Brian Kirwin

Published December 16th, 2008

Who is Patrick Muldoon? I don’t know a lot about him, other than his strategic brilliance to make telemarketing phone calls over the Thanksgiving holiday. So off to the internet to research! According to his website, he is running for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor because we need “strong leaders in Virginia who want to promote our traditional values by being committed to fight for us, 100% of the time.”

Apparently Mr. Muldoon believes gambling is a traditional value. Mr.Muldoon is an attorney at Duane Morris, a DC law firm, whose lobbying arm, according to their website, represents casinos and gambling interests such as Hilton Gaming, Keystone Gaming Alliance and Oberthur Gaming Technologies.

Is gambling a traditional conservative value? I doubt professional associations with gaming interests is hardly representative of the 100% pure conservative he claims to be.

But, wait there’s more. Muldoon and his supporters have been critical of politicians that have received donations from Barr Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company that employs hundreds of Virginians and has engineered affordable generic drugs to fight cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Barr also created a contraceptive pill. Haven’t Muldoon and his supporters claimed that anyone who accepts money from Barr is pro-choice? On Duane Morris Consulting’s website, you’ll see Barr Labs listed a client.

From Muldoon’s definition of associations with Barr, shouldn’t we hold Muldoon to the same standard? Is that an association of a pro-lifer?

Now, I’m not making any judgments about gambling or Barr Labs. This is about campaign honesty. Before Patrick Muldoon starts attacking Republicans with his 100% litmus test, he should be ready to meet the same test, shouldn’t he?

He has lost every election he has entered and is now the Democrats’ best friend as he forces us to spend money that could be spent beating a well-funded Democrat.

If he’s going to run on the “100% conservative” banner, he better meet his own test. On first glance, Patrick Muldoon is a hypocrite.

Statewide Petition Update

Last night at 11:07 PM Hampton Roads GOP posted an article entitled "Statewide Petitions Update." The article says,

"They started counting petitions today at RPV. At last count, it appears that the Cuccinelli campaign has more petitions than any other campaign by a large margin.

As of last night, McDonnell, Bolling, Brownlee, Foster, and Cuccinelli fulfilled the requirement.

Stay tuned for more updates…"

Once again it appears the Cuccinelli grassroots has demonstrated its strength in this petition drive. I will be interested to see the final number of raw signatures collected by each candidate, and if anyone was unable to collect enough signatures.

The next couple of steps after the petition drive results are officially announced will be the Republican Advance strawpoll this weekend, and then the release of this quarters finance reports. After that the primary election will really get underway as we have mass meetings around the commonwealth to choose delegates to the state convention on May 30th. Best luck to John Brownlee and Ken Cuccinelli this weekend at the advance.

Also it will be interestign to see if Muldoon was able to collect enough signatures to get on the ballot.

UPDATE:: According to Jason Kenney, all the candidates made it on although Muldoons 11th district signatures are still being reviewed.::

This article has been updated as the Hampton Roads GOP reposted the article.

Now There's a List of Endorsements...

Especially during primary seasons candidate's try to lock up key endorsements early on to give themselves credibility, and draw more support.

In the AG race, Ken Cuccinelli has been demonstrating that he has the support of the grassroots by touting his list of endorsements from unit chairmen, and John Brownlee has been bolstering his prosecution/law enforcement message by touting the list of sheriffs who support him.

While the nomination contest for Attorney General has been going on almost as soon as Virginia's legislative session ended, only recently have people been able to sort of talk about a "nominating contest" for lieutenant governor in Virginia. Since the end of October Patrick Muldoon an attorney from Alexandria has been campaigning to challenge Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling in his bid to once again run as the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor. While Bill Bolling doesn't face much of a threat from someone whose last significant bid for elected office was a failed attempt to oust Rick Boucher as the congressman from the 9th district, Bolling's campaign decided to try to squelch this insurgency early. In an e-mail sent out this afternoon Bolling sent out his endorsement list. Bolling has the support of almost every Republican leader. The list is devastatign to the Muldoon campaign because it will be difficult for Muldoon to find significant party support.

Here is the list:

REPUBLICAN PARTY LEADERS SUPPORTING BILL BOLLING FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

State and Congressional Leaders

The Honorable Robert McDonnell, Attorney General and 2009 GOP Gubernatorial Nominee

The Honorable George Allen, Former Governor and Senator

The Honorable Jim Gilmore, Former Governor

The Honorable John Hager, Former Lieutenant Governor and Former RPV Chairman

The Honorable Jerry Kilgore, Former Attorney General and 2005 Gubernatorial Nominee

Congressman Eric Cantor, House Minority Whip, 111^th Congress

Congressman Tom Davis, III

Congresswoman Thelma Drake

Congressman Randy Forbes

Congressman Virgil Goode

Congressman Bob Goodlatte

Congressman Rob Wittman

Congressman Frank Wolf

John Brownlee, Candidate for Attorney General

Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, Candidate for Attorney General

David Foster, Candidate for Attorney General

State Senate

Senator Thomas Norment, Jr., Senate Minority Leader

Senator Steve Newman, Senate Republican Caucus Chair

Senator Ken Stolle, Republican Leader Pro Tempore

Senator Walter Stosch, Republican Leader Emeritus

Senator Ken Cuccinelli

Senator Emmett Hanger

Senator Robert Hurt

Senator Steve Martin

Senator Ryan McDougle

Senator Mark Obenshain

Senator Fred Quayle

Senator Frank Ruff

Senator Ralph Smith

Senator Richard Stuart

Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel

Senator Frank Wagner

Senator William Wampler

Senator John Watkins

House of Delegates

Speaker William Howell

Majority Leader Morgan Griffith

Delegate Kirk Cox, House Republican Whip

Delegate Sam Nixon, Jr., House Republican Caucus Chair

Delegate Dave Albo

Delegate Clay Athey

Delegate Rob Bell

Delegate Kathy Byron

Delegate Bill Carrico

Delegate Ben Cline

Delegate Mark Cole

Delegate John Cosgrove

Delegate William Fralin

Delegate Tom Gear

Delegate Todd Gilbert

Delegate Phil Hamilton

Delegate Frank Hargrove, Sr.

Delegate Clarke Hogan

Delegate Tim Hugo

Delegate Sal Iaquinto

Delegate Riley Ingram

Delegate Bill Janis

Delegate Chris Jones

Delegate Terry Kilgore

Delegate Steven Landes

Delegate Scott Lingamfelter

Delegate Matt Lohr

Delegate Manoli Loupassi

Delegate Danny Marshall

Delegate Jimmie Massie

Delegate Joe May

Delegate Don Merricks

Delegate Jackson Miller

Delegate Harvey Morgan

Delegate Dave Nutter

Delegate John O'Bannon

Delegate Glenn Oder

Delegate Bobby Orrock, Sr.

Delegate Chris Peace

Delegate Brenda Pogge

Delegate Charles Poindexter

Delegate Bob Purkey

Delegate Chris Saxman

Delegate Edward Scott

Delegate Beverly Sherwood

Delegate Terrie Suit

Delegate Robert Tata

Delegate Lee Ware

Delegate Tommy Wright

State Central Committee Members

Morton Blackwell, National Committeeman

Kathy Terry, National Committeewoman

Michael Thomas, First Vice Chairman

Polly Campbell, Secretary

Rick Neel, Treasurer

Walter Curt, Finance Chairman

Juanita Balenger, Eastern Vice Chairwoman

Kevin Gentry, Eastern Vice Chairman

Trixie Averill, Western Vice Chairwoman

James Hale, Western Vice Chairman

Tom Foley, 1st District Chairman

Gary C. Byler, 2nd District Activist

Mike Wade, 3rd District Chairman

Jack Wilson, 4th District Chairman

Tucker Watkins, 5th District Chairman

Fred Anderson, 6th District Chairman

Linwood Cobb, III, 7th District Chairman

Michael Ginsberg, 8th District Chairman

Michelle Jenkins, 9th District Chairman

James Rich, 10th District Chairman

Becky Stoeckel, 11th District Chairman

Michael Lowe, 1^st District Rep.

John Van Hoy, 1^st District Rep.

James Bowden, 1^st District Rep.

Carol Dawson, 1^st District Rep.

Allen Webb, 1^st District Rep.

David O'Kelley, 2^nd District Rep.

Chuck Smith, 2^nd District Rep.

Roger Miles, 2^nd District Rep.

Shirley Darnauer, 2^nd District Rep.

Ken Golden, 2^nd District Rep.

Bryan Meals, 3^rd District Rep.

Christopher Woodfin, 3^rd District Rep.

Cortland Putbrese, 3^rd District Rep.

William Flanagan, 4^th District Rep.

Irene Hurst, 4^th District Rep.

Linas Kojelis, 4^th District Rep.

Robert Wheeler, 4^th District Rep.

Chris Shores, 5^th District Rep.

Gene Smith, 5^th District Rep.

Rachel Shoenewald, 5^th District Rep.

Edward W. Early, 5^th District Rep.

Mickey Mixon, 6^th District Rep.

Matthew Braud, 6^th District Rep.

Lynn Mitchell, 6^th District Rep.

Wendell Walker, 6^th District Rep.

Kristi Way, 7^th District Rep.

Marie Quinn, 7^th District Rep.

Edward Fuhr, 7^th District Rep.

Brian Plum, 7^th District Rep.

David Fuller, 7^th District Rep.

Vellie Dietrich-Hall, 8^th District Rep.

Michael Giere, 8^th District Rep.

Mark Kelly, 8^th District Rep.

John Kilgore, 9^th District Rep.

Jerry Lester, 9^th District Rep.

Judi Lynch, 9^th District Rep.

Howard Lind, 10^th District Rep.

Mary Gail Swenson, 10^th District Rep.

Keith Damon, 11^th District Rep.

Patsy Drain, 11^th District Rep.

Rick Hendrix, 11^th District Rep.

Michael Rumberg, 11^th District Rep.

Lori-Ann Miller, Young Republican Federation of Virginia President

Neil Miller, Young Republican Federation of Virginia Rep.

Andrew Vehorn, Young Republican Federation of Virginia Rep.

Sam Bradshaw, College Republican Federation of Virginia Rep.

Adam Erby, College Republican Federation of Virginia Rep.

Angie Hall

Carol Ford

Ed Gillespie, Former Republican Party of Virginia and Republican National Committee Chairman

Don Huffman, Former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman

Kate Obenshain, Former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman

Gary Thomson, Former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman

Unit Chairs

Timothy Raynor, Accomack

Christian Schoenewald, Albemarle

Chris Marston, Alexandria

Loren Newman, Jr., Alleghany/Covington/Clifton Forge

Mary Alice Williams, Amelia

Stephen Witham, Amherst

Evans Thomas, Appomattox

Mark Kelly, Arlington

Bill Shirley, Augusta

Kevin Corwin, Bedford County / City

Joyce Kistner, Bristol

Elaine Cogsdale, Brunswick

Jerry Lester, Buchanan

Gene Smith, Campbell

Jeff Sili, Caroline

Carolyn Honeycutt, Carroll

Patricia Meyers, Charles City

Anthony Pascuita, Jr., Charlotte

Donald Williams, Chesterfield

Hon. John Wood, Colonial Heights

Don Bishop, Craig

John Coates, Culpeper

Susan McCammon, Dinwiddie

Carla Cash Harris, Emporia / Greensville

Blake Slusser, Essex

Jim Kaplan, Fairfax City

Jim Hyland, Fairfax County

James P. Fisher, Fauquier

Gene Bishop, Floyd

Doug Johnson, Fluvanna

Teresa Preston, Franklin City / Southampton County

Bill Stanley, Franklin County

Bob Seale, Frederick County

B.J. Huff, Fredericksburg

John Walsh, Gloucester

Ben Slone, Goochland

Dawn Cox, Grayson

Gary Lowe, Greene

Pat Barksdale, Halifax

Kyle Adams, Hampton

Angela Kelly-Wiecek, Hanover

Kerri Wilson, Harrisonburg

Mike Wade, Henrico

Don Lawson, Henry

David Kiser, Highland

Phil Justice, Hopewell

Rick Batten, James City

William Rilee, King & Queen

John Hubbard, King William

Joan Blackstone, Lancaster

Damie Carter, Lee

Robert James, Jr., Lexington / Rockbridge / Buena Vista

Pat Mullins, Louisa

Adam Erby, Lunenburg

Mark Peake, Lynchburg

John Tucker, Madison

Tony Kostelecky, Manassas

William Wren, Manassas Park

Timothy Halpin, Martinsville

Michael Lowe, Mathews

Tim Boyle, Mecklenburg

Lee Davis, Middlesex

Patty Manthe, Montgomery

Jane Ladd, New Kent

Steve Groce, Newport News

Pam Brown, Norfolk

Colin Cowling, Northampton

Jeanne Kling, Northumberland

Ronald Chipper, Nottoway

Doug Rogers, Orange

Charles Butler, Jr., Page

Elizabeth Stanley, Patrick

Linas Kojelis, Petersburg

Tom Arthur, Pittsylvania

John Anderson, Poquoson

Bryan Meals, Portsmouth

Ray Kramer, Powhatan

John Marsden, Prince Edward

Daniel Robinson, Prince George

Lyle Beefelt, Prince William

Beckie Cox, Pulaski

Mark Armentrout, Radford

Cortland Putbrese, Richmond City

Debbie Harper, Richmond County

Adam Boitnott, Roanoke City

Graham Leonard, III, Roanoke County

Michael Meredith, Rockingham

Gregory Habeeb, Salem

John Kilgore, Sr., Scott

Michael Monahan, Shenandoah

Adam Tolbert, Smyth

Bryce Reeves, Spotsylvania

Susan Stimpson, Stafford

Stephen Trent, Suffolk

Earl Hall, Surry

Aaron Roberts, Tazewell

Kenny Golden, Virginia Beach

Lisa Mauck, Warren

Patty Denton, Washington

Chris Darden, Waynesboro

Robert Fountain, Westmoreland

Richard Hill, Williamsburg

Patricia Jackson, Winchester

Ben Boggs, Wise

Aubrey O'Quinn, Wythe

Doug Meade, York

So far the top of our ticket has unified the party as we head into 2009. Hopefully it will stay that way and help us as we try to sweep all three executive offices next fall. As we work towards that end pleas sign up to be a delegate to the Republican State Convention next May 30th, and let's prove to the nation that Virginia is not some purpley blue state.