Big Experiment Under Way With Hard-Right Republican Seeking Victory In Swing-Voting Virginia

[Purveyor]

Virginia is conducting nothing short of a grand political experiment in 2013, testing whether a tea party favorite can carry a closely divided state with conservative roots. If Ken Cuccinelli wins the race for governor, he will have undercut Republican moderates' claims that hard-right ideologies are hurting the party _ and undoubtedly intensify a debate already roiling the GOP.

Despite its Southern conservative history, Virginia is not Kansas or Oklahoma. President Barack Obama carried it twice after years of Republican dominance, and both U.S. senators are Democrats. Democrats and Republicans have battled fiercely for control of the state Legislature and governorship for years, with Republicans holding the edge lately.

It's hard to find a more 50-50 state where moderate and independent voters loom large in fall general elections.

Cuccinelli, the fiery attorney general running for governor this year, is no garden variety conservative. He once told college leaders they couldn't ban anti-gay discrimination. He advised Catholic clergy to go to jail to protest federal contraceptive coverage mandates. He investigated a former Virginia scientist over his climate change research. All this gave Cuccinelli a national profile few attorneys general attain.

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http://www.newser.com/article/da59gg5o3/big-experiment-under-way-with-hard-right-republican-seeking-victory-in-swing-voting-virginia.html

[yellowcanine]

1. Cuccinelli will win if Dems don't turn out for their candidate.

Problem with VA governor's race is that it is always an off-year election. So turnout tends to be low. This favors tea party and other fringe candidates who might have a small but enthusiastic following. OTOH if Dems have a good turnout they should win because many Republicans do not like Cuccinelli that much.

[zipplewrath]

2. Sounds like a test

Sounds like a test for OFA. Can they get out the vote in off year elections?

[brooklynite]

6. How many people here will turn away from Terry McAullife for not being progressive enough?

[Blue_Tires]

4. +1

[Nancy Waterman]

3. McDonnell just signed a voter ID law in Va

which will make Dems winning anything that much harder.
The Justice dept should squelch it while Section 5 of the voting rights act is still functional..

[Cha]

5. Good to know.. thanks Nancy Waterman