With the recent announcement of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to run for reelection (as opposed to seeking the office of Governor), it looks as if the year 2009 will be a strong election year for Republicans in the state of Virginia. Presumably Bob McDonald will hold the first slot on the Republican side as the nominee for Governor followed by Bill Bolling. Sounds good to me. Both Attorney General Bob McDonald and the Lt. Governor have proven their electability statewide with their wins in 2005. Although it is true that both of their wins were close then, surely their chances have increased as they have improved their name recognition considerably, and, to the best of my knowledge, neither have been successfully labeled or slandered by their detractors. In addition, it is highly unlikely that either will have to face a tough Republican opponent in the primary, thus saving both campaigns considerable time and finances. Already several potentials candidates for Lt. Gov. have withdrawn from consideration upon hearing of Lt. Gov. Bolling’s reelection intention.

I suppose the only real question remaining is, who will be the Republican nominee for Attorney General. Thus far, the name I most often hear is State Senator Ken Cuccinelli. Although I have never met him, I have read many favorable things about him and think he would bring much to the position. Another good choice, I think, would be my own State Senator, Mark Obenshain. Although I don’t think any of us have much knowledge about his intention to seek the office, if, as a conservative, you were to examine his voting record and positions, I think you would find little, if anything, to offer objection. Do bear in mind, there are likely other options out there to make conservatives happy, but these two, in particular, stand out so far.

With a slate of strong conservative candidates running for office, at this point, I would say our chances of taking all three statewide offices in 2009 look pretty good. Much work lies in store between now and then in order to make this hope a reality.