McDonnell Goes Green in a Move for the Middle

RICHMOND

Political insiders had long expected Republican Robert F. McDonnell to try to cast himself as a moderate in his run for governor. If his first policy rollout is any indication, they were right.

McDonnell's first major announcement since officially kicking off his campaign in March took on an issue generally championed by Democrats -- the environment -- and set a goal of preserving 400,000 acres of land.

It was an unusual choice.

McDonnell and his Democratic rivals R. Creigh Deeds, Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran have primarily made the race about jobs and the economy. (McDonnell's slogan is "Bobs 4 Jobs.") But this proposal had little to do with jobs, the economy or other hefty issues, such as transportation. Instead, McDonnell took a shot at portraying himself as a would-be green governor who would work with both sides of the aisle.

"As Virginia grows in population, we must preserve our natural wonders for future generations to enjoy," he said.

McDonnell is taking a page out of the playbook of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who first set a goal of preserving 400,000 acres of open space. Kaine, now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, which will work vigorously to defeat McDonnell, has preserved more than 330,000 acres and is on his way to realizing his goal before he leaves office in January.

Is McDonnell copying Kaine? Maybe. Can you blame him? In an atmosphere marred by budget cuts and a divided General Assembly, land conservation has become one of the most significant accomplishments of Kaine's term.

McDonnell, a former legislator who became state attorney general in 2006, made his reputation primarily with efforts to strengthen law enforcement and push conservative social issues. Now he is trying to follow the lead of recent successful statewide candidates -- all of whom happen to be moderate Democrats, including Kaine and U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and James Webb.

"We're happy to have Bob McDonnell touting Creigh's legislative accomplishments on land conservation across the state," said Brooke Borkenhagen, a spokeswoman for Deeds, one of the legislature's leaders on land conservation. "But sadly, this is just another example of Bob's cynical attempt to paint himself as a moderate in this race -- when we all know he's more Pat Robertson than Teddy Roosevelt."

McDonnell's approach suggests he believes that if he wants to win in a state that has trended blue in the last four major statewide races, he has to appeal to the middle-of-the-road voters who largely determine elections in Virginia.

He made a point of praising President Obama in the speech at his kickoff rally for calling for merit pay to retain and reward teachers and for more charter schools. His campaign Web site has prominently featured accounts of his work with Kaine.

McDonnell and Kaine speak fondly of their past working relationship, but the two men have clashed at times.

McDonnell accused Kaine of overstepping his constitutional authority when the governor issued an executive order outlawing bias against gays in 2006. And McDonnell issued a formal opinion that year saying that the governor was powerless to keep the state open after legislators failed to pass a budget. He also opposed Kaine on this year's landmark ban on smoking in restaurants, on abstinence education funding and whether to give local governments more control over development in their communities.

"Yet again, Bob McDonnell is trying to rewrite history during an election year," said Jared Leopold, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia. "We appreciate Bob McDonnell's newfound commitment to land preservation, but actions speak louder than election-year promises."

McDonnell's tenure as a legislator did not yield him high marks from environmental groups, although he was one of more than 100 legislators who co-sponsored a bill in 1997 to create a fund to assist with the costs associated with conservation. The bill was unanimously approved by both chambers.

Lisa Guthrie, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, applauded McDonnell's latest proposal but encouraged him to broaden his pledge to include other protections for air, water and land.

His proposal calls for increasing the land conservation tax credit from 40 percent to 50 percent of the qualified appraised value of the land, directing the state to purchase land for public use and encouraging private donations of land to conservation organizations.

He said the plan would reap economic and environmental benefits by reducing pollution, improving water quality and promoting energy conservation while providing the amenities needed to lure businesses to the state and boost tourism.

"I see open-space protections not only as an important issue for quality of life and for the environment, but as one more tool I can use as a governor when talking to people about moving to Virginia," McDonnell said. "I see it all fitting together under the rubric of economic development in creating jobs."

But some Republican activists across the state are complaining that McDonnell is waiting too long to introduce his more substantive proposals on jobs and the economy.

McDonnell, who has since unveiled plans on energy and higher education, said he will follow with proposals on the economy, crime and government reform. But, he said, he might wait until after the Democratic primary, when more people are paying attention.

Meanwhile, his campaign launched its first TV ads this week. They offer a portrait of McDonnell as someone with broad appeal to Virginians: an Army veteran from a middle-class family.