Join AG Cuccinelli for an informational webcast on June 16th

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli filed a lawsuit on behalf of Virginia to overturn the federal health care mandate following the passage of the national health care bill in March. After weeks of waiting for the federal government to respond, federal officials filed a reply in the U.S. District Court on May 24th with a motion to dismiss the suit, which is what the Attorney General's office expected would happen. Cuccinelli's office responded, and is now waiting on the U.S. to file its reply brief by June 22nd, and then the oral arguments on the motion to dismiss will take place on July 1st at 10 a.m. - one hour for each side.

If Virginia's case is not dismissed and moves forward, a summary judgment hearing is scheduled for October 18th.

On June 16th, Attorney General Cuccinelli will hold a webcast to discuss where his team is on the case, what you can expect going forward and the constitutional issues involved. To join the webcast, you must register on the AG's website. The webcast is free and open to the public, but is not paid for at taxpayer expense.

Remember to register and click here for more details on the June 16th webcast!

Republican Party of Virginia
Chairman Pat Mullins
115 East Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23219
www.rpv.org
804-780-0111

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli Combating Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States, and Attorney General Cuccinelli, along with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and 34 other states have taken action against LifeLock Inc, an identity theft protection provider that was not able to provide the security it promised its customers. Lifelock reached an agreement this week with the Virginia, FTC and other states after the company was investigated for allegedly purposefully misleading consumers.

The states and the FTC began jointly investigating LifeLock amid allegations that the company made a range of deceptive claims that misled consumers to believe its services were a "proven solution" that would protect against all forms of identity theft, including criminal, mortgage and child identity theft. The settlement also resolves allegations that the company misrepresented the nature of specific services it provided to protect or alert consumers when their personal information was compromised.

(From Pat Mullins March 12th, Chairman's Update)

Virginia First State in the Nation to Pass Ban on Mandated Health Care Insurance

While Congress is caught up in a tumultuous debate over whether or not to undertake sweeping reform that would make it illegal to be without health insurance, Virginia this week made its stance on government health care mandates crystal clear: NO! The answer came in the form of HB 10, introduced by Delegate Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, and mirroring SB 417, patroned by Senator Jill Vogel, R- Upperville, which would block any government mandate that would require Virginia residents to have health insurance. Both received overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate bill passed into law, while the House version is headed to Governor McDonnell's desk for his signature.

Virginia is the first state in the nation to pass any type of ban on mandated coverage, but more than thirty other states are following our lead with similar legislation pending.

These votes send a clear message to local Congressmen Boucher, D-9th, Nye, D-2nd, and Perriello, D-5th who are standing by to support Obama's healthcare legislation: the people back home in your district don't want Washington bureaucrats in charge of their health care. They also don't want the Commonwealth on the hook for one of the largest unfunded mandates in history.

(From Pat Mullins March 12th, Chairman's Update)

So who is Steve Shannon?

Now that both parties have their candidates, it is time to begin analyzing the Democrat candidates. If you have been reading this blog at all you have a feeling for who Ken Cuccinelli, and what I think of him. Now it is time to begin to explore who his opponent is in the Attorney Generals race, Steve Shannon.

Mason Conservative describes Steve Shannon by saying,

As for Steve Shannon, none of this trio fits the term "backbencher" better than Shannon, who's spent four years in the House of Delegates just smiling away, not doing much, but being young and raising money and convincing people that he's electable. Its the kind of guy that always emerges when one party starts to really prosper - young pols who get elected on coattails and seem to convince everyone they are the future based on nothing but fluff.

RPV Chairman Pat Mullins described him similarly in his election night e-mail by saying,

“Steve Shannon is looking to leave behind his status as a back-bencher in the legislature to continue to promote his belief in higher economic burdens on working families. His record reflects full-voiced support for higher taxes and staunch opposition to tax relief. When Virginians are hurting and are in need of new and better jobs, his view of the taxpayer as an unlimited funding source is the last thing we want.

These are a couple quick summaries of who Steve Shannon is, and I'm sure that in the coming months we will delve deep into his voting record. As a member of the House of Delegates from Fairfax County, Steve Shannon shares two precincts with Cuccinelli's senate district. It is interesting to note that Democrat blogger Ben Triblett of Not Larry Sabato wrote a detailed analysis of Shannon's electoral history and doesn't believe Shannon will be able to run away with NOVA. Since Cuccinelli resonates well in southern and southwestern Virginia, has been elected in Fairfax County, and Shannon may not do well in NOVA, Ken may be in a very good electoral position.

The one major advantage Shannon has is money. At the end of the last filing period he had atleast a 10:1 money advantage over Cuccinelli. If you support limited government, lower taxes, private property, and strong families please donate to Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General.

Ken Cuccinelli
for Attorney General of Virginia
$

If you are interested in hearing Ken's thoughts on the upcoming Attorney General primary, Ken shares them at the end of the following video.

Bearing Drift interviews Ken Cuccinelli from Beehive Video on Vimeo.

Republican Response to the Democrat Primary.

In response to the Democrat primary results, Bob McDonnell issued the following video message.


Pat Mullins the new RPV chairman also issued a press statement. The following paragraphs are some of the highlights.

“Virginia Democrats have nominated a slate of three candidates that would raise taxes as soon as possible and lead with the people’s checkbook as their weapon. Should they succeed in their mission, these three candidates would increase the financial strain on Virginians and private enterprise, depress economic growth and stifle job creation.

“Given the dismal voter turnout in their primary election, it is clear that there is little excitement in their party and an even smaller appetite for the kind of expansive government their candidates represent. By contrast, our party is enthusiastically behind our excellent ticket of Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli, as proven by the attendance of over 8,000 Republicans at our recent convention. Everywhere I travel in Virginia, local Republican interest is high, which bodes well for our chances in November.

“Finally, the rejection of Terry McAuliffe indicates that even Democrats are disillusioned about the direction their party and leadership have taken. When a wealthy, insider financed, nationally prominent, personal friend of the Clintons is rebuked in such a manner, it is a clear indicator of a party in disarray from top to bottom. On the Republican side, we are energized and look forward to the road ahead.”

As a note on the excitement that is building within the Republican Party, just like on the ticket airport tour, it appears the Republicans had packed attendances at their campaign headquarters openings.

Let's keep up the energy, stay positive, conservative, and issues oriented, and we should win in November.

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.

Will the attacks on Jeff Frederick never end?

I don't think I will be actively supporting either candidate for RPV Chairman. However, it doesn't encourage me to vote for the establishment candidate when his supporters continue taking potshots at Jeff Frederick whenever possible.

The newest culprits is Bearing Drift and a post authored by Jason Kenney. The comments concern Bill Stanley's supposed thoughts on who he would choose for executive director. In it he says, "Reliable sources say that former Communication Director Gerry Scimeca has said that Jeff Frederick will serve as Stanley’s Executive Director, though whether or not that is on record is TBD." Those in the know understand how someone could misconstrue something Gerry would say in that fashion. They simply heard the name Jeff as the first name for the person Stanley is considering and assumed it was Frederick. However, when Gerry took the time to deny the comments no apology of any type was ever made. Simply updates at the bottom of the post. The intention of the post was clearly to imply that Stanley was bad because he likes Jeff enough to consider him for Executive Director of the RPV. The establishment had their fun, they took Jeff out. Now, can we please leave Jeff out of this as we try to unite and move forward.

I had the opportunity to talk with both Pat Mullins and Bill Stanley about their bids for Party Chairman. One of the things I asked Pat Mullins about was how he planned on uniting the party. He said that while he does not have a point by point plan, he would not speak out against and criticize Jeff Frederick, and he would reach out to those who supported Jeff as wemove forward. No matter who becomes our next chairman, I hope this party follows Pat's advice so that we can unite and move forward towards the November elections.

(Note I am a huge fan of Bearing Drift and their contributions to covering Virginia politics. I am a big fan of Jim Hoeft and the fair and thorough coverage he gives.)

Bill Stanley Announces his Bid for RPV Chairman

Now that Jeff Frederick has decided not to run and the convention is only two weeks away, we now have a contest for RPV Chairman. Here is the e-mail Bill Stanley sent out announcing his candidacy.

Dear William J,

Since its founding 155 years ago, the Republican Party has amassed an impressive record of accomplishment. Republicans are bound together not by self-interest or convenience, but by the conservative principles and traditional values that have made America the greatest nation in world history. Throughout our party's history, those core beliefs have always been driven and guided by our rank-and-file, the volunteers, activists and members who comprise our grassroots.

Recent electoral setbacks have caused some to question our party's ability to succeed in the future. Disappointment has wrought doubt, and doubt has led to finger-pointing. Some have suggested that the core beliefs that underpin our party have become outmoded and obsolete. Others appear to suggest we adopt in part the tenets of the other party. But, those who would trade principle for political success damage the public's faith in representative democracy and undermine the Republican Party.

Because Republicans love America, we must not abandon or discount the core beliefs that are essential to the future success and prosperity of our nation. Conservative principles that require an adherence to fiscal responsibility and limited government will never be outmoded. Traditional values that respect the foundations of Western Civilization and faith in God will never be obsolete.

If Republicans are going to win elections, we must have the confidence of our convictions and a willingness to promote them at every level of government. And, we cannot abandon those convictions simply because they are unfashionable among those who enjoy an elite status in American society.

People do not hold conservative principles and believe in traditional values because they are fashionable. They adhere to their core convictions because they are proven, having served mankind well for thousands of years and being a way of life for a majority of our countrymen.

Now, our party is facing a challenging electoral environment. Republicans can only return to majority status by connecting our beliefs to the way people live their own lives, insisting that government reflect the values of those it is entrusted to serve.

The Republican Party of Virginia can only succeed if it wholeheartedly embraces the core beliefs of its volunteers, activists and members. Those who comprise our grassroots are proud of their beliefs, confident in their convictions, and unafraid of the future. They deserve a party that reflects and represents them, promoting their principles and values to the entire Commonwealth.

To advance these core convictions and to return control of our party to its grassroots, I am announcing today my candidacy for Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.
As Chairman, I offer you, our party faithful, energy, experience, and leadership. It is your party. I will be your chairman.

Our party must be driven and guided from the grassroots up and not the top down. While we must give all those who work on our party's behalf their due, the Republican Party must not permit the judgment of the few to instruct or override the will of the many. The position of Chairman must be elected, not anointed.

The task ahead will not be easy. It will require a Chairman with a fresh perspective, one untainted by past battles, biases or affiliations. It will also require that Chairman be fully prepared for and able to fulfill the obligations of the enormous job ahead.

Although our ideas and principles offer a better future for our nation and our commonwealth, our opponents have surpassed us in applying modern technology and marketing techniques to gain an advantage. As a member of the generation that has developed and embraced this technology, I will ensure the Republican Party of Virginia marshals the tools that are now essential for victory.

My agenda is simple and straightforward, focusing on the fundamentals of grassroots party building. It puts the Republican Party of Virginia firmly in the hands of you, our volunteers, activists, and members, which is the only way to grow the Party and ensure that our nominees - from local office all the way to statewide candidates - win elections.

As Chairman, I pledge that:

· RPV will serve and answer to the Party's activist and volunteer base.

· RPV will provide the grassroots organizational structure necessary to help elect its nominees to office at every level of government.

· RPV will never be conformed to the image of any single candidate, campaign, or elected public official. Candidates, campaigns, and elected public officials come and go, but the Party has a responsibility to endure, reflecting the values and principles of its activist and volunteer base.

· RPV will ensure that Republican nomination contests are fair, open and properly conducted. RPV will never take sides or demonstrate a preference in any party nomination contests.

· RPV will reflect the values and principles of its conservative base, and will never shrink from, apologize for, discount, or diminish their positions on any given issue.

· RPV will focus its efforts on training our activists and volunteers at the Unit level, building the structure that will both foster and elect conservative candidates.

· RPV will fully incorporate the latest available technology, providing an effective and modern structure of communications with both the activist base and the public.

· RPV will never become a captive of the consulting class, but instead employ conservative management principles - competitive bidding, lean structure, customer service orientation - to ensure the Party is being both responsive to its base and responsible with contributions from its donors.

If I am elected by you, my fellow delegates, on May 30, this simple agenda - along with the voices and principles of our activists - will guide and direct my term as Chairman.

If you share my vision of a Republican Party of Virginia that is inseparable and indistinguishable from the grassroots it must represent, join with me in this campaign. With your support, we can steer our party - and its conservative principles and traditional values - on a course to victory.

Bill Stanley Franklin County Republican Chairman

Amy Frederick no longer running for Delegate

In a recent letter, Amy Frederick announced she will no longer be running to replace her husband Jeff Frederick in the VA House of Delegates. In early February she and her husband announced she was exploring a bid for the House of Delegates.

April 28, 2009

Dear Friends:

Since first beginning to explore the possibility of campaigning to represent the people of the 52nd District in the House of Delegates, I have been humbled by the support and encouragement I received from across eastern Prince William county, and indeed, beyond. Having been honored to stand by Jeff's side for the past six years as he has served, I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know many of the people of this district. They have made this job a rewarding experience for both of us, and the lasting friendships will always remain.

Today, it is with mixed emotions that I announce my withdrawal from the race to succeed Jeff in the House of Delegates.

Unfortunately, some in the leadership of the Republican Party have demonstrated a greater interest in playing politics than in advancing our conservative principles and making life better for the families and the citizens of Virginia. I'm not interested in running for office to serve under broken leadership, where the Speaker compromises principle for what he perceives as immediate political gain. What so many entrusted with leadership in our party fail to recognize is that ignoring our core principles in pursuit of titles and power without purpose is exactly the behavior that severely reduced our ranks in the House, handed the Senate to the Democrats, and has resulted in one statewide loss after another.

Although my campaign ends today, it has been a pleasure to travel around the district and introduce myself as a potential candidate to so many wonderful people.

I want to first thank my friends and family for supporting me and encouraging me to run. I also want to thank Kris Morris and my supporters, who have spent hours volunteering on my behalf. To these people, I will remain forever grateful.

I'm excited about the future, and I will be working hard to make sure that people of principle who share Jeff's and my commitment to service are elected and re-elected this year. I'm confident that in years to come, our party will have new leadership and a new direction, which will bode well for fresh, new ideas -- and ultimately, handing our children a better Commonwealth than the one we inherited.

Most sincerely,

Amy Frederick

According to a comment by Amy on facebook she believes Rafael Lopez will be the Republican nominee for that seat. As of yet there noone has filed from the Democrat Party to run for the seat.

It will be very interesting over the coming years to see what the Frederck's do in party politics. I can't imagine they are done for life.

On another note, so far it seems noone is trying to challenge Pat Mullins for RPV chairman. The vote on the matter by state central is on Saturday, and if someone decides to challenge Pat, then we will have a vote at the state convention May 30th.