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Revision as of 19:59, 12 July 2009

Bob McDonnell
Attorney General of Virginia
In office
January 14, 2006 – February 20, 2009
Preceded byJudith Jagdmann
Succeeded byBill Mims
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 84th district
In office
1992–2005
Preceded byGlenn McClanan
Succeeded bySal Iaquinto
Personal details
Born (1954-06-15) June 15, 1954 (age 70)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMaureen Patricia Gardner
ChildrenJeanine, Caitlin, Rachel, Bobby, Sean
ResidenceVirginia Beach, Virginia
Alma materUniversity of Notre Dame
Boston University
Regent University
ProfessionLawyer
Websitewww.bobmcdonnell.com
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1976–1997
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitUnited States Army Reserve (1981–1997)

Robert F. "Bob" McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician and lawyer. A conservative Republican, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1992–2005. He is the former Attorney General of Virginia, who resigned to campaign full time for Governor of Virginia in the 2009 election.[1][2]

Personal life and early career

McDonnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in northern Virginia. His father, John McDonnell, was a retired United States Air Force officer. His mother, Emma, worked at Mount Vernon. McDonnell graduated from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1972.[1][3]

He attended the University of Notre Dame on an ROTC scholarship, graduating with a B.B.A. in Management in 1976. He went on to receive a M.S.B.A. from Boston University in 1980, and a M.A./J.D. from Regent University in 1989.[1][3]

McDonnell served in the United States Army for four years, and sixteen in the Army Reserve, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel[1]. While on active duty, he ran a medical clinic in Germany from 1976-1979, and in Newport News, Virginia from 1979-1981 [1]. He spent the rest of the sixteen years of military service in America.

He married Maureen Patricia Gardner. They have five children. The oldest, Jeanine, served as a U.S. Army officer in Iraq.[1][3]

Political career

House of Delegates

McDonnell was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1992, serving seven terms (14 years). He represented the 84th district in Virginia Beach. Under the 1998–2001 power-sharing arrangement between House Republicans and Democrats, he was co-chair of the Committee on the Chesapeake and its Tributaries in 2000–2001, He became chair of the Courts of Justice Committee in 2003. He also served on the Rules Committee 2000–2005, and was Assistant Majority Leader.[1][4][5]

Attorney General

Jeri Thompson, wife of former senator Fred Thompson, speaks with Virginia Attorney Gen Bob McDonnell

In 2005, McDonnell ran for Attorney General. The first result showed him with a victory of 323 votes, out of over 1.9 million votes cast, over his opponent, Democratic state Senator Creigh Deeds. Deeds filed for a recount, which began on December 20, 2005. After preliminary figures revealed 37 more votes for McDonnell and that Deeds would not make up the difference, he conceded the next day, giving McDonnell a 323 vote margin of victory.[6] McDonnell outspent Deeds by almost three million dollars (McDonnell spent $5,962,067 to Deeds' $3,103,585); $2,084,089 of McDonnell's campaign contributions were funneled through the Republican State Leadership Committee,[7] exploiting a loophole in state law that was closed by the General Assembly—with the support of McDonnell—shortly after the election.[8][9]

He was inaugurated on January 14, 2006 in Williamsburg along with Governor Tim Kaine and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling.

In 2007, McDonnell "played a key role in early negotiations" on the transportation package that was the key issue of contention in the General Assembly.[10]

Prior to a performance of the Sex Workers' Art Show at the College of William and Mary in the Spring of 2008 McDonnell forbade the display of nipples and photography. He also prohibited the sale of books, prompting the emcee of the event to invite students to "join Attorney General McDonnell next week for a book burning in Swem Library." Students gleefully chanted "Bob McDonnell loves naked ladies!" at the start of two sold-out showings in the 500 seat University Center.[11]

McDonnell took the side of defecting Northern Virginia Episcopalians in a property lawsuit over the right of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia to retain church properties.[12]

On February 4, 2009, he announced that he would resign as attorney general, effective February 20, to run for governor full time.

Candidate for governor

Robert McDonnell announced his candidacy for the 2009 Virginia Gubernatorial election at American Legion's Boy's State of Virginia 2007, making him the seventh consecutive elected Attorney General to run. The GOP nominated McDonnell without significant opposition to be their nominee for Governor. Creigh Deeds won the Democratic Party primary, which sets up a rematch between the two candidates who ran for attorney general 4 years earlier.

In contrast to his Democratic opponents and Democratic Gov. Kaine, McDonnell is campaigning to begin petroleum exploration and development off the coast of Virginia.[13]

McDonnell opposed the acceptance of $125 million in federal stimulus funds to enable Virginia to extend unemployment benefits to Virginians who work part time or are in approved job training programs because, according to his campaign, it would create "an unfunded federal mandate to permanently expand benefits with one time funding poses an undue hardship on the taxpayers and employers. Thus the long term effect would not be good for economic development." [14] After the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates narrowly voted to reject the federal funds, McDonnell's stance was the subject of an opposing ad by Common Sense Virginia, a political action committee.[15] McDonnell said the ad was "deceptive", and he called Common Sense Virginia "an out of state partisan attack dog group funded by big national unions".[16]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Session 2005; McDonnell, Robert F. (Bob)". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  2. ^ Kumar, Anita (2009-02-03). "McDonnell Resigns To Run for Governor". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b c Queen, Karen Haywood (2006). "Commonwealth Conservative; As Attorney General, Regent graduate Bob McDonnell is poised and present". Christian Leader. Regent University. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  4. ^ "Session 2003; McDonnell, Robert F. (Bob)". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  5. ^ "Session 2000; McDonnell, Robert F. (Bob)". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  6. ^ O'Neil, John (2006-11-08). "A Virginia Recount Would Not Come Soon". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  7. ^ "Attorney General". Virginia Public Access Project. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |citedate= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Nuckols, Christina (2006-02-04). "Group says McDonnell backing wasn't tied to one donor". Landmark Communications. McDonnell has been working with lawmakers this year to draft legislation that will require the state leadership committee and similar groups to disclose their donors. {{cite news}}: Text "citedate-2009-06-12" ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Mr. McDonnell's Dodge". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |citedate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |pubdate= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Nuckols, Christina (2007-04-05). "General Assembly approves compromise transportation plan". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  11. ^ "Lust bust: Porn case prompts statewide crackdown?" By LINDSAY BARNES Published February 7, 2008, The Hook
  12. ^ Benton, N.F. "Batttle for Episcopal Properties Back in Court" Falls Church News-Press, May 29-June 4, 2008, page 5.
  13. ^ Kumar, Anita (2009-02-27). "McDonnell Asks Rivals to Support Drilling". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ Kumar, Anita (April 8, 2009), "McDonnell Opposes Unemployment Stimulus", The Washington Post{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ "'Empty' -- Final – Common Sense Virginia. -- 30 second TV". Common Sense Virginia. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  16. ^ "The Facts about the Attack" (Press release). McDonnell for Governor. Retrieved 2009-05-15.

References

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