Today the two candidates for governor, Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell make their direct appeals to Virginia voters.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who recently has been criticized by state Republican leaders for his out-of-town trips as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, says his security detail on those trips cost less than $10,000 in his first six months in the post. Kaine said he has kept records of the security expenditures and has instructed the DNC to reimburse the commonwealth for the costs.

The Republican Party of Virginia yesterday requested under the Freedom of Information Act records of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s out-of-state travels and state expenditures related to his work as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Lynda Tran, a spokeswoman for Kaine, said the office will respond to the FOIA request the same way it treats all FOIA requests.

The Republican statewide ticket emphasized the positive as the three running mates introduced themselves to voters at six stops yesterday. Standing on the hot tarmac at the new Stafford Regional Airport, gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell said “there will be a clear choice in November. This ticket will offer positive, innovative solutions to create new jobs and provide greater freedom and opportunity for all Virginians.“

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli scored a firstballot victory yesterday for the Republican attorney general nomination, completing a conservative ticket anchored by Bob McDonnell for governor and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. Cuccinelli, 40, and Bolling, 51, won by such wide margins at the state Republican convention in Richmond that they were declared victors by acclamation.

Bob McDonnell has accepted Republican nomination for governor, telling delegates at the state GOP convention in Richmond that he would focus on helping turn around the economy. “To every Virginian who needs a job, to every small business owner trying to make payroll, to every retiree alarmed at losses in their retirement account, to every homeowner concerned about their home value, to every parent writing the next tuition check, to every clergyman struggling to keep a strong community, this campaign is for you,“ McDonnell said.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts said in Richmond last night that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and likely lieutenant governor nominee Bill Bolling have the experience to create jobs and strengthen the economy in Virginia. Romney, a multimillionaire businessman and likely Republican presidential candidate in 2012, stopped in Richmond during the Republican Party of Virginia’s nominating convention to help the party raise money at its annual Commonwealth Gala and to promote the candidacies of McDonnell and Bolling.

Amid allegations of dirty tricks in the nominating contest for attorney general, Virginia Republicans begin gathering in Richmond today for a state party convention that could draw as many as 10,000 people. Tomorrow, convention delegates will pick nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general and pick the chairman of the state party.

Pat Mullins of Louisa County has been endorsed for chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia by gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and Virginia’s five Republicans in the House of Representatives. Mullins, elected chairman by the party’s state central committee this month, is seeking re-election at the state convention in Richmond on Saturday.

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli of Fairfax County, seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general, is offering free bus rides to Richmond from nine Virginia localities and has reserved a block of hotel rooms at the new Hilton Garden Hotel. Republicans are nominating their statewide candidates at a convention May 30, and the down-ticket contests for attorney general and lieutenant governor hinge on who will show up.

Bill Stanley, a Franklin County lawyer and county Republican chairman, announced his candidacy yesterday for chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. He will oppose Pat Mullins, the Louisa County chairman who is a former chairman of the Fairfax County committee, at the state GOP convention May 29-30 in Richmond. On Saturday, Mullins was elected chairman by the party’s ruling body, the state central committee. He replaced Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick of Prince William, who was ousted by the committee last month because of fundraising and election woes that have befallen the Republican Party since Frederick became chairman.

Ousted Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick said yesterday that he will not seek to regain the post at the state convention this month, but he urged his supporters to vote against the new chairman, Pat Mullins.

The Republican Party of Virginia’s central committee yesterday elected Pat Mullins of Louisa County, a longtime GOP activist, as the party chairman. Mullins will run again for chairman at the state convention May 29-30 in Richmond, when Republicans nominate candidates for statewide office. Mullins, the Louisa County chairman and a former chairman of the Fairfax County committee, was unopposed yesterday but is likely to have opposition at the convention.

Amy Frederick, the wife of ousted state Republican Party Chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick, has decided not to run for the Prince William County House of Delegates seat that her husband is vacating. “Today, it is with mixed emotions that I announce my withdrawal from the race to succeed Jeff in the House of Delegates,“ Amy Frederick wrote in an e-mail to supporters and news organizations.

Last weekend the central committee of the Republican Party of Virginia ousted Jeff Frederick as party chairman. Although openly elected at last year’s state convention, Frederick was not the right person for the job. He was disqualified by temperament and other factors. The committee did not take this decision lightly. It made the right call.