Candidate Q&A: Attorney General

Stephen C. Shannon (Democrat) Ken Cuccinelli (Republican)

Q. If elected, how would you help put people back to work?

Cuccinelli: Virginia is currently rated the No. 1 state in which to do business by Forbes magazine. One of the main reasons for this success is that we have had Republican attorneys general over the last 15 years who have protected the people of Virginia while staying out of the way of businesses "doing business," unlike the Democrats' vision of heavy regulation and the promotion of unions. As attorney general, I will seek to bolster our economy by protecting the commonwealth of Virginia's right-to-work status and by working to keep state government regulations to the minimum possible to keep our citizens safe and productive. In Virginia, state law today secures employees' rights to decide for themselves whether to join or support a union. The law makes it illegal for any employer to come to an agreement with a union that non-union employees will be excluded from its rolls. This statute is very important for the business climate of Virginia, as right-to-work states generally experience higher economic growth, higher job creation and lower unemployment rates than do non-right-to-work law states. I believe it is not a coincidence that in recent years almost all of the new auto factories have been located in right-to-work states. Unfortunately, the federal government has chosen to push legislation -- commonly called "card check" -- that would dramatically undermine Virginia's right-to-work law. . . . As attorney general, I will seek to use the 10th Amendment to prevent the Congress and the president from undermining our right-to-work law. Currently, the Virginia Administrative Code contains over 23,000 pages, and Virginia citizens and businesses are expected to understand and comply with the legal requirements contained within these 23,000 pages. This requires money by these citizens, which is eventually passed along to the public at large by higher prices for the products. In 2006, Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced his Government and Regulatory Reform Task Force, which worked in a bipartisan fashion to eliminate excessive and unnecessary government regulations. The task force produced its final report on June 11, 2009. As attorney general, I will continue to implement these suggestions, if any remain, and to prevent the continuing buildup of unnecessary new regulations.

Shannon: I have worked hard to make Virginia prosperous throughout my time in public office, and intend to continue being a strong ambassador to the business community as attorney general. In the House of Delegates, I worked with Governor Warner and Governor Kaine to bring strong financial management to the commonwealth, leading Virginia to be named the "Best State for Business" four years in a row. I worked with Democratic and Republican colleagues to pass Governor Warner's 2004 budget, which brought stability back to Virginia's economy and preserved our AAA bond rating. I believe that safety and prosperity go hand-in-hand. As attorney general, I will fight to keep our communities safe from drug dealers and gangs, and our children safe from online sexual predators. Safe communities are an essential to fostering a welcoming environment for the businesses that create jobs for Virginians. A number of business groups in Virginia have recognized my commitment to job growth and endorsed my campaign to be attorney general. These include the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Virginia Association of Realtors, the Virginia Credit Union League, the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, and the Virginia Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, all of which have a history of endorsing Republicans. In addition, I have received consistently high scores from Virginia FREE, a nonpartisan coalition of state business leaders.

Q. How should Virginia fund transportation?

Cuccinelli: As attorney general, I would no longer have a vote on transportation issues, and thus, my role would be rather limited. However, voters can certainly examine my record as a state senator, where I have long worked on this issue.

Shannon: As attorney general, I will work with the next governor to secure an adequate and sustainable solution to funding Virginia's transportation needs. Maintaining our roads and infrastructure is an essential part of fostering a healthy business environment. As indicated by endorsements from Virginia's business community and my consistently high Virginia FREE scores, I have a pro-business philosophy in terms of infrastructure investments and regulatory policy. As general counsel to our state regulatory agencies and the governor, I will focus on ways to improve Virginia's transportation system while attracting and retaining the companies that create jobs. I look forward to working with the governor and legislature to find a pro-business, sustainable solution to Virginia's transportation problems so that the commonwealth can continue to be a great place to live and work.

Q. What, if anything, would you protect from state budget cuts?

Cuccinelli: As attorney general, I would no longer have a vote on budget issues, but I would strongly campaign for the funding necessary to combat crime, protect consumers, and handle the other issues that the attorney general's office is constitutionally required to handle.

Shannon: The first thing we need to do is to make sure that taxpayers' money is being spent efficiently and effectively. I'm a proponent of performance-based budgeting and think that we should work aggressively to eliminate programs that don't work or are inefficient. I am a strong proponent of the Virginia Performs project, an effort during the Kaine administration to create quantifiable benchmarks of success for every state program. The Virginia Performs data are updated annually, allowing the governor and legislature to make informed, strategic decisions on which programs should be eliminated and which should continue to receive funding. One of my top priorities as attorney general will be to make government more efficient, transparent and accountable to Virginians. This summer, [after disclosures that Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, had pursued a job at Old Dominion University before introducing a $500,000 state budget amendment to create a teaching center there], I was the first elected official in Virginia to call for him to resign from his seat in the House. Since then, I have been joined by every statewide candidate from both parties, the only exception being my opponent, Ken Cuccinelli. Taxpayer dollars for higher education should be used to educate young people, not to line the pockets of politicians. One thing that we should never compromise on is the safety of our children. That is why I have proposed a number of public safety initiatives that focus on ways to use existing resources to combat major crime challenges we have in Virginia. Q. What would you do about rising college tuition costs? Cuccinelli: As attorney general, I would no longer have a vote on educational issues, and thus, my role would be rather limited. However, voters can certainly examine my record as a state senator, where I have long worked on these issues.

Shannon: One of Virginia's greatest strengths is our world-class higher-education system, and I am proud of the work I have done as a delegate to advocate for our public universities and community colleges. In 2004, I took a leadership role in bringing Democrats and Republicans together to pass the most recent higher-education bond package, which has resulted in significant capital investments in our schools. In the legislature, we have worked creatively to provide incentives for universities to control tuition costs, such as providing more state funding in exchange for doing so. An important duty of Virginia's attorney general is to be general counsel to our public universities and community colleges. In this role, I will work with our higher-education administrators to continue advancing these goals.

Q. What is your position on abortion?

Cuccinelli: As attorney general, I will defend those laws regarding abortion that are duly passed by the legislature when they are challenged in court, such as the partial-birth abortion ban. However, voters are certainly aware of my strong pro-life record as a state senator.

Shannon: Consistent with constitutional case law, I believe that a woman should be able to make decisions over her own body. We can reduce the incidence of abortion by improving our foster-care system, helping increase agency adoption placement rates, and other investments that give young women alternatives. I do not believe we should criminalize women and health-care professionals. I do support Virginia's statutory ban on partial-birth abortion. This issue highlights a fundamental difference between me and my opponent. The attorney general's job is not to make laws, but to enforce them. As attorney general, I will aggressively enforce and defend all of Virginia's laws. My opponent, when he sought the Republican nomination, indicated that he will not enforce and defend all laws, instead defending only the laws that conform to his personal interpretation of the constitution. I am running to enforce Virginia's laws and keep Virginians safe. These should be the attorney general's priorities.