Decision Virginia

Jackson shocks Virginia GOP convention: wins LG nod

In an unlikely turn events, Bishop E.W. Jackson a Harvard educated retired Marine and pastor from the Hampton Roads area turned back six other candidates to become the GOP candidate for Lt. Governor.

He will run along side gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli and Attorney General nominee Mark Obenshain.

Jackson sprinted out to an early lead in the balloting after delivering an electrifying speech. But as the balloting went on, he seemed to be losing steam as Northern Virginia businessman Pete Snyder began to coalesce support from the delegates who had previously supported other candidates.

Snyder was the last man standing against Jackson going into the final ballot, but after a strange turn of events lost steam. A series of flyers were distributed throughout the building that said Snyder was endorsed by several people who he was apparently not supported by.

Jackson then marched around the Coliseum with Corey Stewart who made it into the final three, but did not make it on to the final ballot. From there Jackson overwhelmed the final vote to become the first African-American nominee by the Virginia Republican Party since they picked Maurice Dawkins in 1988. He eventually lost to Chuck Robb.

The Cuccinelli- Jackson- Obenshain ticket has the potential to be one of the most conservative in Virginia political history. While Jackson and Obenshein have their own records to present it starts at the top of the ticket. This afternoon Ken Cuccinelli did not run away from his conservative credentials but he made an effort in his speech this afternoon to step out from behind the sterotype democrats are ready to paint him with.

Here is my story for NBC12:

RICHMOND (WWBT)- Ken Cuccinelli took his critics head on, claiming those who call him extreme are ignoring a record of positive accomplishments.  This crowd of 8 thousand agreed, and he is now the party's nominee for the state's top job.

 It was just a formality, but it is now official.

"So I humbly stand before you this morning to accept your Republican nomination in the race to be the 72nd Governor of this great Commonwealth," said Cuccinelli to loud cheers. 

He is a man who built his career by fighting for conservative causes. He stood by those convictions, but today made the pivot to a candidate ready to create jobs and grow the economy.

"A stronger economy that can produce new jobs for the thousands who are currently out of work,” he said.   “And to be clear, we should be trying to create those jobs right here in Virginia. Not in Mississippi or in China."

He spent plenty of time knocking his opponent Terry McAuliffe and his business record and his career as a political operator. Outside of the Richmond coliseum, McAuliffe's defenders like Democratic Party Chair Charniele Herring said that Cuccinelli can talk jobs all he wants, but she fears it is not the kind of governor he will really be.

"Ken Cuccinelli has an extreme ideological agenda when it comes to women's reproductive health care," she said.

After his speech, Cuccinelli told me one on one that he would not pursue any new legislation as governor when it comes to abortion, but instead protect the laws the currently exist.  He said he has nothing to hide.

"They (voters) will have very clear idea of what to expect from a Cuccinelli governorship. Just like my last four races,” he said. “What you see is what you get."

And now Virginia voters will be the ones who get to take that information and make their decision.

Virginia Republicans chose to decide their nominees through this convention which drew a little more than 8 thousand voters, instead of a primary which had the potential to draw from tens of thousands. That decision is what ultimately pushed Lt. Governor Bill Bolling out of the race, and left Cuccinelli unopposed this afternoon.

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News  

Cuccinelli says administration won't pursue abortion agenda

The 2013 campaign for governor of Virginia has been as much about the candidates defining their opponents as it has about creating an image for themselves.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spent much of his 2013 convention nomination speech talking about his goal of making life easier for businesses to grow and thrive. He also compared that promise to his opponent Terry McAuliffe's business record and in particular his decision to open a green car company in Mississippi.

"He dropped us like a hot brick for Mississippi moola - Mississippi tax money," Cuccinelli said of McAuliffe. "And now he can't keep his story straight about why he abandoned Virginia."

But while Cuccinelli talked jobs and the economy protestors outside the Richmond Coliseum worked to paint the GOP nominee as an extremist, hellbent and rolling back access to abortion.

“Ken Cuccinelli’s extreme Tea Party rhetoric should remind Virginians of the singular focus of his career: outlawing a woman’s right to make her own decisions,” said Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Charniele Herring.

But backstage after his acceptance speech concluded, Cuccinelli, who only briefly mentioned abortion in his speech, said his administration won't make abortion a central focus of his administration.

"I am not going to persue anything new," Cuccinelli said.  "Our focus is going to be on jobs and the economy."

I specifically asked about personhood, the controversial legislation that came close to passing the General Assembly in 2012. If it were to become law, it would designate human life as beginning at conception. Democrats have pointed to personhood as a something Cuccinelli would advance from the Governor's mansion.

Cuccinelli told me that he won't propose new laws related to abortion.

"It will be important to protect what we have," he said.

In the past two years in the General Assembly has passed several laws related to abortion. One set new stricter standards for abortion clinics, another required women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound before getting the procedure.

It is clear this won't end the debate over abortion, but it shows the position the GOP nominee hopes to stake out leading into November.

Saxman, Moran talk Virginia Governor's race

Former Del. Chris Saxman (R) and former Del. Brian Moran (D) have gone into business together, starting a political consulting firm.

But while the two still have a hand in politics they aren't directly involved in their party's campaigns.

To preview the Republican Party of Virginia Convention, the two joined me on NBC12 First at 4 to discuss the governor's race.

Check out their interesting perspective:

 

Dorothy McAuliffe fires back at attacks against her husband

It has been a slow drip of attacks for the last several weeks, fueled by stories Terry McAuliffe wrote about his life in politics in is book "What A Party."

Sites like BuzzFeed have posted several of the anecdotes like the one where McAuliffe talks about leaving his wife in the delivery room after the birth of one of their children and other stories that show the former DNC Chair's drive to raise money for his team at all costs.

BuzzFeed even went as far as to take excerpts of his audio book and turn them into short clips for people to listen to McAuliffe himself telling the story.

Republicans have had a field day with the material, sending it around to anyone who might be interested.

For the most part the McAuliffe campaign has remained quiet in the face of the onslaught, but tonight McAuliffe's wife Dorothy, who is at the center of much of the controversy, released a statement that was a powerful defense of her husband.

Mrs. McAuliffe said that she helped her husband write the book and that the stories show his sense of humor.

She also compares his record to the GOP nominee Ken Cuccinelli when it comes to women and claims that Cuccinelli is the candidate women should fear.

Here is her full statement:

"I am surprised that Ken Cuccinelli and his spokespeople have latched on to a few anecdotes from Terry's book in response to the incredible support Terry is getting from women across party lines in his campaign for governor. Terry and I had a lot of fun writing the book; it was a great opportunity to relive some of the experiences we’ve had in our over 25 years together.  While politics has become a negative and cynical business for some, Terry has used his humor, good cheer and innate optimism over many years to find ways to work with others to get things done. 

"The truth about Terry is that he is a wonderful husband and a great father -- he is supportive, devoted, and caring. I have always stood beside him, and he has always stood beside me. 

"Anyone who knows Terry knows he is someone who respects women and the role we play in today's world -- and nobody knows that better than me. My husband's opponent is underestimating the women of Virginia if he thinks he can distract us from the real issues that affect our lives and the lives of our daughters.  While Terry has always been there for me, I can stand on my own two feet and say that Mr. Cuccinelli should know that he will have me to answer to if he wants to intrude on our family life for political attacks." - Dorothy McAuliffe wife of Terry McAuliffe

The statement from Mrs. McAuliffe comes on the heels of a big roll out by the Democratic campaign zeroing in on McAuliffe's support by women. A rescent poll has McAuliffe in the lead with women, but several others have shown the women vote up for grab. McAuliffe and his team are continuing to push Cuccinelli's position on abortion in the hopes it will fire the female vote up come November.

Cuccinelli senior advisor Chris LaCivita responded to Mrs. McAuliffe's statement. "With all due respect, those aren't our words," he said.  "Those are Terry's words in his own voice."

Undecided on your choice for Lt. Governor? Here is a recap:

It all comes down to this for the seven candidates vying for Lt. Governor on the Republican side of the ticket. A diverse and eclectic group, the only consensus about what could happen on Saturday at the Richmond Convention Center is that no one really knows.

If you are headed to Richmond and like most, somewhat undecided, here is a look back at my interviews with several of the candidates. I talked to four of the seven candidates at various times during the past year. For the other three I wasn't able to track down, I provided links to their web sites.

We will see what happens Friday.

The interviews are in chronological order.

SUSAN STIMPSON (October of 2012)

 

Our story from Decision Virginia.

PETE SNYDER (announced his candidacy on First at 4, November 2012)

 

Our story from Decision Virginia.

E.W. JACKSON (February of 2013)

 

Our story from Decision Virginia.

COREY STEWART (May of 2013)

 

Our full story from Decision Virginia.

Here are the campaign web sites for the other three candidates:

Scott Lingamfelter

Jeanmarie Davis

Steve Martin

Cuccinelli defends connection to Star- Scientific

RICHMOND (WWBT)-  Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is responding to criticism tonight over his connection to the company Star Scientific. The company's CEO Jonnie Williams has given Cuccinelli tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, some of which the attorney general failed to initially report.

When Cuccinelli revealed for the second time that he forgot to report gifts from Williams, TV cameras were not allowed into the press briefing.

This week the Attorney General went on camera with NBC12 to answer the tough questions about the controversy plaguing his campaign. 

(We spoke one on one with Cuccinelli before his tax policy roll out at Sweet Frog in Carytown)

Tuesday morning Cuccinelli was in front of frozen yogurt and stuffed green frogs, pitching a tax cut plan, but the specter of the Star Scientific controversy was not far behind.

Democrats and their affiliated groups are pushing Star related stories and web videos on a daily basis.

They contend Cuccinelli has made a serious, perhaps illegal mistake, when it comes to his connection to Williams.

The Attorney General knows he did something wrong.

"This was a mistake on my part and I own that."

He claims it was a mistake not in any way designed to benefit the CEO who gave him plane rides and vacation getaways.

"He never asked me for anything,” Cuccinelli said. “The only time anything from Star ever came across the radar from the Attorney General’s office was when they sued over a tax assessment and they were immediately opposed."

That tax case connected the gifts and Cuccinelli's work as Attorney General, there is no evidence Star Scientific has benefited from Cuccinelli in any way.

But the appearance of a possible benefit has left Cuccinelli open to criticism. He argues there is nothing to hide.

"The mistakes I made. I was the one who came forward and disclosed those, other people didn't do that. My opponent didn't release his tax returns like I did,” he said.  “I am being open as I can be."

It is perhaps not enough for Democrats, but it is enough for Cuccinelli to never take another gift from Williams ever again.

"Nothing,” he said when I asked if he will take anymore gifts from Williams, “No no no."

And eventually it won't just be Cuccinelli's word we have to go on. Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring- a Democrat- is conducting an independent review.

Herring said today the review is underway and will take several weeks to complete.

Our full uncut interview with Cuccinelli can be found below:

 

Here are some of the highlights:

*On why the mistake was made in the first place:

"When I realized that I'd made one mistake I went back and literally pulled calendars and other things to see because I didn't trust my memory at that point."

"This was a mistake on my part and I own that."

"I didn't have a system in place to immediately track it. It would literally get to the end of the year and we sit down and I'd say 'okay, what else is there that is not on this list already?' Obviously I remembered some and I didn't remember some others."

On potential benefits for Jonnie Williams:

"He never asked me for anything and the only time anything from Star ever came across the radar from the Attorney General's office was when they sued over a tax assessment and they were immediately opposed."

On his openness in this situation:

"The mistakes I made, I was the one who came forward and disclosed those, other people didn't do that. My opponent didn't release his tax returns like I did. I am being open as I can be."

On his decision to remain Attorney General while running for Governor:

"Everybody on earth in Virginia stays in office when they run for an office."

"I promised the people of Virginia four years as Attorney General. So did my opponent. If I were to resign what do you think they would say?"

"I'm not perfect, I keep proving that. I've disclosed a heck of a lot more than my opponent and even he hasn't called on me to resign."

On future gifts from Jonnie Williams:

"Nothing. No no no."

Cuccinelli makes tax cut pitch

It was only a matter of time, and now it is officially on paper. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli made his tax pitch Tuesday morning and much of it is straight out of the GOP playbook. And while you have heard a lot of it before in different incarnations, there are a few wrinkles.

(Cuccinelli rolled out his tax plan at Sweet Frog in Carytown)

Above the hum of frozen yogurt machines at Sweet Frog in Carytown, Cuccinelli called for a three quarter percent cut in income taxes for almost everyone, a two percent cut in business income taxes and the slashing of some business and manufacturing taxes as well.

In all, Cuccinelli's tax cut plan would mean Virginia's government would take in roughly $1.4 billion less than it currently does. That means as Governor he would be forced to fill that gap somewhere. Virginia, unlike the federal government is constitutionally required to balance its budget.

That is where Cuccinelli's plan strays a bit from the GOP playbook and enters a bit of a murky territory.

He plans to pay for the missing $1.4 billion by using existing surplus funds, and by slashing loop holes and tax incentives designed to encourage certain businesses to come to or expand in Virginia. Cuccinelli argued that unlike many of his fellow Republicans he isn't interested in using the tax code to pick winners and losers. 

"My focus is going to be on much more across the board," he said. "A better economic environment and lower taxes for everybody rather than trying to cherry pick a few folks to come here or expand." 

Finally he plans to control the growth of government, which could mean cuts, to make sure the budget remains balanced.

What Cuccinelli hasn't outlined quite yet is specifics. He plans to form tax commissions that will help to prioritize what should stay and what should go, and which government programs should remained fully funded. 

It was that lack of specificity that opened the door for Democrats to pounce.

"Cuccinelli's proposal would lead to a budget crisis that could undermine education, force localities to dramatically raise property taxes, and threaten the Commonwealth's bond rating," said Evan Feinman, the policy director for Cuccinelli's opponent Terry McAuliffe.

Another tax issue Cuccinelli stayed away from was transportation. The Attorney General was one of Governor Bob McDonnell's biggest critics during the passage of the recent transportation funding overhaul. The plan raises taxes in a number of areas. Cuccinelli said today that he has no plan to repeal the law, but he will have something to say on transportation at a later date.

The full outline of Cuccinelli's tax plan can be found on his campaign web site.

An extended clip of Cuccinelli' remarks from today's event can be found below:

  

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Prior to this morning's event, we spoke one on one with the Attorney General and asked him some tough questions regarding the Star-Scientific controversy. A full story on the interview tonight at 11 on NBC12. The entire interview will be posted here on Decision Virginia.

McAuliffe puts Cuccinelli on the transportation spot

It will be a key rallying cry for the McAuliffe gubernatorial campaign for the next several months. It will be a cry aimed directly at Ken Cuccinelli.

I supported Bob McDonnell's transportation plan and you fought against it.

In his Richmond campaign launch Monday morning where he was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D), Terry McAuliffe drove that point home and hinted that a Governor Cuccinelli could potentially undo the progress.

(McAuliffe was joined in Richmond by Kaine (left) and Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones)

He also took a bit of credit for the transportation bill's success himself.

"I was proud to make calls and do meetings to help push it over the finish line," he said "And I was frankly amazed that my opponent tried to block this important progress at each and every step."

Running on the McDonnell transportation record has plenty of benefits for McAuliffe. It is clear Virginians are happy with the concept, and continue to give McDonnell high marks for his stewardship of the state despite the difficulties he has had with Star-Scientific saga.

It also plays into important constituents McAuliffe will need to draw in order to win in November. Both Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads deal the most with Virginia's transportation difficulites and they are both regions where a McAuliffe victory will need to come from.

Cuccinelli remains vague about his plans for transportation but has consistently been critical of tax increases, a key component of McDonnell's road fix. The Republican is planning a major tax policy roll out tomorrow, which could include a fix or change to the McDonnell transportation plan.

Regardless, while McAuliffe continues to remind voters that he was for the transportation plan and Cuccinelli wasn't, Cuccinelli will take a page out of the traditional GOP playbook and accuse McAuliffe of just wanting to raise taxes.

"McAuliffe has a long record of supporting tax increases on voters in the Commonwealth, including the estate tax that even Tim Kaine opposed," said Anna Nix, a Cuccinelli Spokeswoman.

An extended clip of McAuliffe's remarks regarding transportation can be found below:

 

Judge recuses Cuccinelli from Chef case, defers decision on dismissal

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News 

RICHMOND (WWBT)- There were wins and losses for both sides Thursday morning in Richmond Circuit Court.

Judge Margret P. Spencer ruled that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his office did have a conflict of interest in the embezzlement case of Todd Schneider the former Executive Chef at the Virginia's Governor's Mansion.

The conflict was enough for Spencer to agree to remove the Attorney's General's office from the case.

At the same time as officially pulling Cuccinelli off the case, Spencer also decided to defer Schneider and his attorney Steve Benjamin's motion to outright dismiss the case based on the fact that Cuccinelli had waited so long to ask to be recused.

(Schneider (left) and his attorney Steve Benjamin did not comment leaving the courtroom)

Spencer told Benjamin that the new prosecutor, who she hand picked, Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Underwood would handle the motion for dismissal at another pre-trial hearing set for May 14th.

The Attorney General's office had asked that the case be handled by Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert.

It became clear quickly in the oral arguments that Benjamin was prepared to make the politics of the Attorney General's office, the race for Governor and the McDonnell Administration a major part of the case. He outlined in great specificity the connections between McDonnell, a witness in the case Mary Shae Sutherland and Cuccinelli's campaign for Governor.

Sutherland was once the Chief of Staff to First Lady Maureen McDonnell and now works for a consulting firm that has raised money on behalf of Cuccinelli's gubernatorial bid.

Benjamin argued that Cuccinelli's office knew of this conflict more than a year before an indictment was handed down and should've asked to be recused before Schneider was formally charged.

Benjamin also launched into a lengthy explanation of the politics of this case as a conflict and brought up the name Jonnie Williams, the CEO of Star Scientific. The man who paid Schenider to cater McDonnnel's daughter's wedding and who has been a financial backer of both McDonnell and Cuccinelli.

Before he could get to far into making his political connections to the case, Patrick Dorgan, the senior Assitant Attorney General objected and which Spencer sustained before quickly made her ruling.

This latest development sets up yet another showdown in court between Schenider and prosecutors before the actual trial takes place. It is still scheduled for the summer and Spencer told Benjamin her goal was to stay on that course.

The arguments on the motion for dimissal will be heard May 14th at 1pm.

Leaving the courtroom, both attorneys and Schneider chose not to comment. Both sides have been put under a gag order in the case by the Judge.

 

Chef case and Star Scientific saga brings Executive Mansion public

It is an intersection of politics, an accused crime and a sitting governor. It is an intersection that currently meets at one Virginia's most historic buildings, the Governor's Mansion.

The embezzlement case surrounding former Executive Chef Todd Schneider is making life difficult for Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli.

NBC12's Investigative Reporter Rachel DePompa examines how the case and it's many connections are pulling back the curtain at the home of Virginia's governor. It is a world that is not much different from the many governor's who have lived their before, but one seldom seen by the average public.

Here is Rachel's report for NBC12:

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News 

RICHMOND (WWBT)- Tomorrow a judge will hear arguments on whether state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli can remove his office from a case that's become a political scandal.

The FBI is even asking questions. And it all started with a cook in the kitchen. There hasn't even been a hearing, but the back and forth of court documents really illustrates the fishbowl that the first family lives in at the Executive Mansion. That fishbowl is opening up their private lives in a way we've never seen before.

Todd Schneider claims he's a whistle blower and the charges against him are retaliation. State Police have charged the ex-chef with four counts of embezzling property from the 200 year-old Executive Mansion. For the first time ever, we are peering inside its windows and scratching at closed doors.

In court documents lawyers are already offering up tidbits: accusing the governor's sons of taking Gatorade and protein powder from the mansion to their college dorms. Lawyers accuse one of the governor's daughters of taking booze for a private party. There are even accusations that the governor's wife gave away pots and pans.

"Nobody has really tried like the lawyers for ex-chef are going to try, to sort of pull the cover back from a lot of the things that go on at the mansion," said local attorney and political analyst Paul Goldman. He helped run Doug Wilder's historic campaign for governor. He even got married inside the executive mansion.

"I mean when the Indians bring the turkey (at Thanksgiving) nobody's asking what happened to the bones and the legs. You have a lot of power people over to the mansion. The governor is wining and dinning, cutting some political deals."

He says it goes on in every administration: the booze, food, catering and parties

"Yes it's public money and it's appropriated, but that's hallowed ground. Everybody knows that you stay out of governor's mansion," said Goldman.

Read Rachel's entire story on NBC12.com

Even though it maybe the goal of the Attorney General's office, it will be very difficult to keep the Chef case from becoming political. 

His office won't talk about the case specifically, but a spokesman told us via e-mail that the office is doing the best it can to keep the focus of the case in the courtroom.

"Like every other criminal prosecution this office handles, this case will be tried in court and not in the media," said Brian Gottstein, the Attorney General's Director of Communication.

I'll be in the courtroom tomorrow for the hearing. We will have updates here and on my twitter page.