Marshall never has been afraid to buck GOP

Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, embroiled in a firestorm over his recent remarks on abortion, never has been reluctant to speak his mind -- or to challenge fellow Republicans.

"Bob Marshall marches to his own beat, and sometimes that rhythm is in time with us and sometimes it's not," said G. Paul Nardo, chief of staff to House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford.

It was Marshall whose lawsuit led the Virginia Supreme Court to throw out, as unconstitutional, the state's 2007 transportation-funding package, which then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell, now governor, had approved and Howell had hoped would pave the way to Republican gains in that fall's House elections.

And it was Marshall, perhaps the legislature's most high-decibel foe of abortion, who took on -- and nearly defeated -- former Gov. Jim Gilmore two years ago for the GOP nomination to run for the U.S. Senate. Marshall labeled Gilmore, whom Marshall had pressured to intervene in a high-profile right-to-die dispute in 1998, as soft on abortion.

Marshall, a delegate since 1992, has been a lightning rod in the General Assembly throughout his career.

A devout Catholic who left the Democratic Party after it nominated George McGovern for president in 1972, he combines a black-and-white sense of morality with a keen mastery of parliamentary procedure, honed as a congressional aide and lobbyist.

"I do deeply respect his knowledge of the process," said a frequent opponent, lobbyist Robley Jones of the Virginia Education Association, which traditionally leans Democratic. "He's brilliant, if eccentric."

Marshall held a news conference last week in which he urged lawmakers to scrap public funding for Planned Parenthood. But his quibble over cash quickly took a back seat to controversy.

Marshall said at the conference: "The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children.

"In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."

Marshall's comments, which gained national attention, spurred condemnation from McDonnell and advocates for the disabled.

Marshall issued a statement saying he regretted "any misimpression my poorly chosen words may have created" and then hardened his stance by saying his words had been misinterpreted.

Despite his knack for headline-generating imbroglios, Marshall is a survivor, turning back challengers for his seat even amid Prince William County's recent shift from Republican stronghold to competitive hotbed.

Democrats attribute this to Marshall's emphasis on nuts-and-bolts, neighborhood-level politics, tending to a fast-growing constituency challenged by, among other things, traffic congestion and an influx of undocumented immigrants, of whom he has been critical.

Sen. Linda T. "Toddy" Puller, D-Fairfax, whose district includes part of Prince William, recalled a telephone message from Marshall in which he appealed for guidance in assisting a county resident who was a victim of domestic violence.

Puller, as supportive of abortion rights as Marshall is opposed, said, "I was surprised that he wanted me to help him. I was not surprised that he wanted to help a constituent."

Marshall also has been a defender of children with disabilities. In the past two years, he has bucked the GOP in fighting for legislation that would require insurance companies to pay for treatments for autism.

Marshall and his wife, Catherine, married in 1976. One of their five children, son Chris, was killed as a young adult in a traffic crash in 2001. The delegate has been known to become visibly moved when discussing the tragedy.

In the legislature, because of his focus on highly emotional issues, Marshall often is viewed as a quirky caricature.

"In the early days, he was the butt of all sorts of stuff," said Jack Knapp of the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists, adding that because of Marshall's capacity for self-deprecation, the "antagonism is not as harsh."

Until now, Marshall may have been best-known for his 1998 involvement in the right-to-die case of Hugh Finn, a television news anchor who was left brain-damaged by a car crash in 1995.

Marshall took the side of Finn's blood family, which opposed the attempts by Finn's wife, Michelle, to remove her husband's feeding tube. He unsuccessfully petitioned a federal judge to intervene.

Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Andrew Cain at (804) 649-6645 or acain@timesdispatch.com.