Cuccinelli elected attorney general

Virginia has elected Republican Ken Cuccinelli as its next attorney general, overwhelmingly favoring the state senator from Fairfax County who has pledged to protect the Virginia Constitution and the state's right-to-work law.

As polls had predicted, Cuccinelli won a crushing defeat over his Democratic opponent -- and friend -- Del. Stephen C. Shannon of Fairfax.

Cuccinelli last night pledged to move forward with fellow Republicans to keep "a close eye on Washington. . . . We are coming into office with a mandate from the people of Virginia to alter the course of change in Virginia."

Shannon, 38, a former prosecutor, focused his campaign on the top-cop aspect of the attorney general job by pledging to prosecute Internet predators personally if necessary. Shannon attempted to paint Cuccinelli as a social crusader who would use the office as a platform to advance his personal agenda.

Shannon said he and Cuccinelli share an interest in combating gang activity and Internet predators and that he wants to work on those issues with Cuccinelli.

"I'm going to stay involved in public life, and I'm going to work with anybody who's going to work with me to try and make Virginia a safer place," said Shannon, who gave up his House seat to run for attorney general.

Cuccinelli, 41, is a civil-litigation attorney who takes a literal interpretation of the constitutions. He said he would compare every proposed law against the state and U.S. constitutions to see if it's contrary, regardless of whether he agrees with the law.

He said he wants to weed out old regulations, operate the office to be minimally burdensome on businesses, and protect the state's right-to-work law.

Cuccinelli, a father of seven, has been one of the most conservative voices in the Senate, to which he was elected in 2002. He is a strong believer that marriage should be between one man and one woman.

In an often-bitter campaign, Shannon criticized Cuccinelli for lacking prosecutorial experience, but Cuccinelli touted his breadth of legal experience, his years serving as a court-appointed attorney for the mentally ill, and his time on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

Contact Olympia Meola at (804) 649-6812 or .

Staff writer Jim Nolan contributed to this report.