Bob McDonnell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

McDonnell with Jeri Kehn Thompson in 2007

Robert F. McDonnell (born June 15, 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), a Republican, is the Attorney General of Virginia. He has also served in the Virginia House of Delegates for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia from 1992-2005. He is married to Maureen Patricia Gardner, and they have five children.

Bob McDonnell is a 1972 graduate from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia. He later received a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1976. He went on to receive a M.B.A. from Boston University in 1980, and a M.A./J.D. from Regent University. McDonnell served in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. McDonnell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1992, and has held the positions of Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Courts of Justice Committee. In addition, he served on the Committees on Health, Welfare and Institutions, and the Rules Committee.

In 2005, McDonnell ran for Attorney General of Virginia. The first result showed him with a victory of 323 votes, out of over 1.9 million votes cast, over opponent Creigh Deeds. Deeds went on to file 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 360 vote margin of victory. [1]

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

In light of Bill Bolling's decision to seek re-election as Lieutenant Governor rather than run for Governor, the Attorney General will essentially run unopposed for the Republican nomination in 2009. There are currently two Democratic candidates also in contention to replace the sitting Governor, who cannot run for re-election under Virginia's Constitution. 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 time an elected Attorney General has run.

Republican Ken Cuccinelli and John Brownlee and Democrat Steve Shannon have announced their intention to run to replace McDonnell as Virginia Attorney General. Cuccinelli and Shannon are members of the General Assembly and Brownlee is former US Attorney for Virginia's Western District.

Bob McDonnell attempted to negotiate a deal to provide greater transportation funding for Virginia without raising taxes. [2]