LT. GOVERNOR RACE
Bill Bolling (R) – 56.41% (winner)
Jody Wagner (D) – 43.51%

ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE
Ken Cuccinelli (R) – 57.52% (winner)
Steve Shannon (D) – 42.39%

13th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE (Prince William Campus) – 100% of Precincts Reporting
John Bell (D) – 38.6%
Bob Marshall (R) – 61.3% (winner)

37th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE (Fairfax Campus) – 100% of Precincts Reporting
David Bulova (D) – 67.56% (winner)
Christopher DeCarlo (I) – 24.74%

40th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE – 100% of Precincts Reporting
Susan Conrad (D)* – 36.81%
Timothy Hugo (R) – 63.06% (winner)

47th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE (Arlington Campus) – 100% of Precincts Reporting
Eric Brescia (R) – 31.87%
Patrick Hope (D) – 63.89% (winner)
Josh Ruebner (I) – 4.11%

*George Mason University graduate student

As the Virginia campaign enters its final week, voters are tasked with the important responsibility of electing several key government officials, among them is the Commonwealth’s attorney general. Both Democrat Steve Shannon and Republican Ken Cuccinelli have claimed to be the most qualified for the position, but what does being Virginia’s senior lawyer actually entail?

According to the attorney general official website, the office, currently occupied by Republican Bill Mims, “is charged with providing advice to state agencies and the Governor; serving as consumer counsel for the people of the Commonwealth; defending criminal convictions on appeal to ensure that justice is served; and defending the laws of the Commonwealth when they are challenged on constitutional grounds.”

The attorney general is one of only three statewide elected officers, the other two being the lieutenant governor and governor. Virginia attorneys general serve four-year renewable terms.

When a legal question comes before a state institution or the constitutionality of a state policy is in question, the Office of the Attorney General is responsible for providing the governor and other relevant officials with prescient counsel, directing them toward the path that best defends citizens’ rights while responsibly advancing the interests of the state.

This direction can sometimes take the form of written legal opinions delivered to members of the General Assembly to assist them in the drafting of laws.

The Office of the Attorney General takes an active role regarding issues that affect large numbers of residents, such as domestic violence, consumer protection, debt collection, assisting criminal investigations in some instances, enforcement of child support obligations, supervising “the appointment and payment of private attorneys hired by other state agencies,” assisting crime victims in their legal cases, fighting identity theft, administering grants, and operating a sexual offenders’ registry, according to the attorney general website.

The attorney general must also oversee the important task of defending criminals’ convictions on appeal.

In a statement released to Mason Votes, Shannon’s campaign touted the Democrat’s experience as a Fairfax County prosecutor who confronted gang and domestic violence, specifically targeting sexual predators. The statement went on to say that Shannon who in 2001 co-founded, with his wife Abby, the Washington metropolitan AMBER alert system, is “running to make Virginia safer by cracking down on drugs, gang leaders and Internet predators who target our kids.”

“I’ve actually sat in a court room with gang members sitting behind me as I argued a case against one of their own,” Shannon said during this month’s attorney general debate. “I’ve had the sheriffs escorting me to and from the courtroom, checking under my jeep to see if there’s a car bomb there. I’ve presented the photographs of children who were beaten to death by members of MS 13. I’ve been through that.”

The campaign went on to criticize Cuccinelli, saying that he “wants to use the position to push his own radical political agenda on the people of Virginia.”

Cuccinelli’s campaign did not respond to attempts to contact them, but throughout the campaign he has emphasized his experience as a court-appointed attorney for the mentally disabled and stressed the importance of his economic and social policies, and his ability to defend what he sees as critical constitutional issues, among them Virginia’s right-to-work laws.

“We need to reduce regulations and strip out those that don’t provide more of a benefit than a cost,” he said during this month’s attorney general debates. “I do not favor collective bargaining. I have a zero percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. My opponent has a 100 percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. That’s a job-killing record.”

Cuccinelli has also been a vigorous advocate of mental health reform, urging more “humane” treatment for the mentally disabled.

“I don’t want to minimize [mentally disabled defendants’] culpability,” Cuccinelli told the George Mason University College Republicans at their first October meeting. “But there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be in jail in the first place if it weren’t for their mental health issues. We need to change the statutes we have and get these folks treatment that is more appropriate. Deputies aren’t trained to deal with mental health issues, so they resort to things like imposed isolation to handle it, and that’s a problem. We need to deal with these people in a way that’s more…effective.”
Go here for more information on the Shannon and Cuccinelli campaigns.

Republican attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli and Democratic attorney general candidate Steve Shannon disagreed on economic issues during their Wednesday debate at George Mason University’s Prince William campus, with much of the divergence of views relating to job creation.

Cuccinelli called Virginia’s right-to-work laws, which prohibit compulsory union membership as a condition of employment, critical, and said he would defend them vigorously if elected attorney general.

“The government shouldn’t be creating jobs, it should be creating opportunities,” he said. “We need to reduce regulations and strip out those that don’t provide more of a benefit than a cost. I do not favor collective bargaining. I have a zero percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. My opponent has a 100 percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. That’s a job-killing record.”

Shannon responded that union members were hard-working individuals who deserved the right to work together for better wages and workplace conditions.

Both candidates said that the threat of gang violence is one of the most serious that faces the state.

Shannon stressed his courtroom experience as a Fairfax County prosecutor and stated that he would be ready to tackle hard issues, such as the proliferation of child pornography, the rise in violent crime, drunk driving, increased gang activity within the state and the growing prevalence of prescription drug abuse.

“I will not need on-the-job training to handle this position,” Shannon said. “I’ve actually sat in a court room with gang members sitting behind me as I argued a case against one of their own. I’ve had the sheriffs escorting me to and from the courtroom, checking under my jeep to see if there’s a car bomb there. I’ve presented the photographs of children who were beaten to death by members of MS 13. I’ve been through that.”

Shannon continued saying that nearly 20,000 computers in the state were being used to traffic in child pornography and that more resources were needed to crack down on sexual predators.

Cuccinelli denied that prosecutorial experience was necessary to execute the duties of attorney general, and responded that he had comprehensive plans to deal with many of the problems facing Virginia.

With regard to gang violence, Cuccinelli praised the efforts of Shenandoah Valley authorities, who appointed one person to coordinate anti-gang efforts across jurisdictional lines, suggesting that similar programs implemented in other parts of the state could also be effective.

Both agreed on the need to combat drunk driving and on defending Virginians’ Second Amendment right to bear arms.

George Mason University has announced that it will be hosting two political debates this fall. The first will occur Sept. 24 between lieutenant gubernatorial candidates Bill Bolling and Jodi Wagner and will be followed by an Oct. 7 debate between attorney general candidates Ken Cuccinelli and Steve Shannon. The debates are being sponsored by Mason, Prince William Committee of 100, Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce, Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce and Northern Virginia Community College.

The Sept. 24 debate will be moderated by WJLA‘s Bruce DePuyt and will begin at 8 p.m. The Attorney General debate will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be moderated by Scott Thuman, also of WJLA. Both events will be held at the Prince William Campus‘ Verizon Auditorium.

Mason’s chapters of the College Republicans and College Democrats have been invited to provide questions for the candidates.

“As Attorney General you have to have focus and priorities, and Virginia has some very serious crime fighting challenges that have to be met over the next four years. Virginians deserve to know that Ken Cuccinelli shares the startling political agenda that is outlined in Bob McDonnell’s thesis,” said Shannon spokesman Brian Coy.

Mason Votes called Cuccinelli’s office for a response. Campaign officials have promised to contact us with a statement soon. This post will be updated when that statement is given.

A former, Fairfax County prosecutor, Shannon is special counsel to Odin, Feldman and Pittleman law firm and the representative of Virginia’s 35th District in the House of Delegates, a position he has held since his election in 2003.

Shannon and his wife Abigail have two children.

Photo by flickr user shannonforag.