Attorney General Candidate Relies On GOP Leaders, House Record

Virginia's delegation to the Republican National Convention in August included top names in the state party.

There was U.S. Sen. George Allen, the former governor who is said to be contemplating a presidential bid in 2008. There was Jerry W. Kilgore, then the state attorney general, who is now running for governor. And there, seated next to them, was Del. Robert F. McDonnell (Virginia Beach), a veteran of the House and chairman of one of its most important committees.

McDonnell, who is seeking his party's nomination to replace Kilgore, spent the whole week at the sides of those leaders, said Loudoun County party chairman J. Randall Minchew, who also was there.

"It was pretty clear that Bob was good friends [with] and had a lot of support from those delegates," he said.

Stephen E. Baril, the Richmond lawyer running against McDonnell in Tuesday's primary, was not a member of the delegation and instead spent the time campaigning in southwestern Virginia.

His absence from the convention, according to his spokesman, David Clementson, "really proves our point. Steve doesn't want to be an insider politician."

Of his status among party leaders, McDonnell said: "People support me because they've worked with me. They've seen my ability to get things done."

He said Baril is "trying put the best spin on the fact that he doesn't have the broad base of political support."

McDonnell's supporters said that in his 14 years in the state House, McDonnell has gained a reputation as a go-to guy for complex bills and as an incisive debater who has helped advance the agenda of the party as it has gained a majority in Richmond.

McDonnell said his seven terms show leadership ability that would help him effectively navigate the political and legal terrain of the attorney general's office.

His candidacy has garnered strong support from party leaders such as those at the convention. A straw poll taken at the GOP's annual meeting in December showed him far ahead then. Baril has since run an active and well-funded campaign to convince voters that McDonnell's candidacy is based on "political entitlement" and that Baril has better legal experience from his 24 years in the courtroom and more extensive support from the business community.

McDonnell, a former Army officer and prosecutor, came to Richmond in 1992, on the cusp of the Republican dominance in state politics. State Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun), who joined the House the same year, said McDonnell was one of the first of the GOP newcomers to engage in sharp floor debates with C. Richard Cranwell (D), the House majority leader who was known as a brilliant and intimidating presence.