The Attorney General selection only took one ballot, and State Sen. Mark Obenshain (Harrisonburg) was elected by the delegates to be the Attorney General candidate.  Obenshain will be a champion for Virginia Values Voters, and you can learn more about him here.

The longest part of the convention was the selection of the Lieutenant Governor’s race.  Virginia Politics on Demand and Bearing Drift had great Convention live blog updates, and you can read more about the actual vote totals for each of the four ballots.  After the first ballot, both State Sen. Steve Martin (Chesterfield) and former State Sen. Jeannemarie Davis (Fairfax) were eliminated, leaving Del. Scott Lingamfelter (Prince William), Stafford County Supervisor Susan Stimpson, Prince William County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Corey Stewart, Pete Snyder, and Bishop E.W. Jackson (who led this ballot) as the remaining candidates.  After the results were released, Davis urged her supporters to cast their votes for Jackson.  It was unknown whether Martin encouraged his supporters to cast their votes for any of the remaining challengers.

With some delegates choosing to leave after the results of the first ballot, the second ballot showed some interesting results with Lingamfelter and Stimpson being eliminated.  Lingamfelter urged his supporters to vote for Snyder, while Stimpson did not endorse a candidate.  The remaining candidates after the second ballot were Stewart, Snyder, and Jackson (who lead after this ballot).

The third ballot was particularly the most interesting, as Jackson claimed 49.7 percent of the vote.  Snyder was second, and Stewart was eliminated.

Since Jackson had to have at least 50 percent of the votes casted to win the nomination, it proceeded into the fourth ballot. The fourth ballot was overwhelmingly in support of Bishop E.W. Jackson for Lieutenant Governor.  Jackson won the Republican nomination.  Delegates had to wait for about twenty minutes before the Republican ticket was announced, following Snyder’s concession remarks.  If anything, Cuccinelli, Jackson, and Obenshain are committed to victory in November.

Aside from the reports of personal details, a recent Washington Post poll shows that Ken Cuccinelli (R) has an early lead over McAuliffe.  It might be small, but as more details emerge about McAuliffe’s plans for the Commonwealth, the polling could show a more dramatic lead for Cuccinelli.  You can read more about the poll here.

Last, but not least, McAuliffe tried to shed more light on his plan by delivering remarks in Charlottesville recently.   For those who are wondering how McAuliffe is planning to create jobs in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we should try to examine his remarks, which were loaded with excuses like “It’s hard to recruit businesses…” and ”GreenTech is producing more than a far cry….”

Cheer up, Terry!  Things have got to get better, right?

As documented last week in The Wall Street Journal, McAuliffe’s focus on creating jobs in Virginia did not go too well, as GreenTech Automotive decided to open their doors in Mississippi instead.  The article also cited that GreenTech not only failed to manufacture the environmentally friendly vehicles, while receiving tax breaks.

Aside from The Wall Street Journal article, a NBC affiliate in Richmond also reported about McAuliffe’s GreenTech Automotive saying that the promises of job creation at the Mississippi plant have fallen flat as well.   If McAuliffe’s promises of creating new jobs has fallen flat, what will he do as Governor of Virginia, especially in a down economy?

Today, The Washington Examiner reveals more problems for McAuliffe’s GreenTech Automotive.  They are also incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, which is notorious for offshore tax shelters.  The company was founded in 2009 in the British Virgin Islands by a wealthy Chinese businessman, and McAuliffe took control of a quarter of the stock of GreenTech, thus establishing the business in Virginia and bringing its manufacturing center to Mississippi.

Sounds shady and sounds like some questions need to be addressed by McAuliffe?  You can read more of The Washington Examiner report to find out more about McAuliffe and the offshore tax shelter for GreenTech.

Read more about McAuliffe’s personal Solyndra crisis.

We learned a couple of weeks ago that Virginia Republicans mimicked the move of Senate Democrats, as they timed the redistricting bill when certain Democrats would be absent for the vote to pass. The Senate Republicans gave themselves some districts that would help in the upcoming elections. Sound slick? The Dems did exactly that in 2011 and this bill would have corrected that.

If one assumes that Speaker Howell wants Republicans to win seats in the Legislature, this bill would have helped. However, he pulled it back demonstrating once again that Howell Republicans will find a way to hand the Democrats victories in return for a pat on the back and a loud “aata boy.” Well, Speaker Howell deprived some of us our moment of delight to see that some Republicans somewhere in this new political atmosphere made a bold attempt to correct some of the damage the evil Party has perpetrated. I hope the smart ones that put the redistricting bill forward will find a way to get it done and they deserve the support of their fellow citizens for trying….We are taking names!

A surprise State Senate redistricting plan has the Democrats “in an uproar and threatening to derail a transportation funding fix” as stated by The Washington Post. While the transportation bill is needed, so is the strength of the Republican party in Virginia, which is now the crown jewel upon which Obama and his team have their collective eyes focused. The redistricting bill would offer one more solid Democrat district and help Republicans gain strength in about eight.

Republicans in all states have shown an amazing ability to back down when threatened by the Dems, and we are watching this one with great interest as November is not that far away. In 2011, the Democrats had no problem pushing through gerrymandered districts when they controlled the Senate. It appears that the Virginia House Speaker is in the hot seat on this one. Hopefully, the chicken littles already lining up to cave will have other issues to deal with on the day of the vote.

You can read The Washington Post article here.

This year the local political offices will be on the ballot.

> Virginia General Assembly: PWC now has five Virginia Senators and eight Delegates.
> Board of County Supervisors: There are seven Supervisor Districts and one at-large Chairman.
> School Board: There are seven School Board Districts and one at-large Chairman.
> County-wide Offices: Sheriff, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Soil and Water Directors (3).

The names of candidates who have filed for office is posted here.

The deadline to register to vote in the General Election is 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 17, 2011.

• If you are registered at your current address, you do not need to register again.
• If you need to register or change your name or address, print the Virginia Voter Registration Form, sign and mail it to the address below (Manassas office), or visit the offices in Manassas or Woodbridge.
• Citizens needing to verify their voter registration status may call the General Registrar’s office at 703-792-6470 or check online.
  • Check your registration and polling place online at the State Board of Elections’ website (click on “My Information”).
  • If you move and don’t change your voter registration before Oct. 17, call and talk to a Registrar about your eligibility to vote. Don’t wait until Election Day.

Absentee Voting Before Election Day

If you will be away from the County on Election Day (whether on a trip, working long hours and/or commuting) or are unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability, you may vote by absentee ballot (see the following Web page for more information: Early/Absentee Voting).

You may submit an Absentee Ballot Application to receive a ballot by mail up to a year in advance of the election. The mailing out of ballots will begin Sept. 23, 2011.

• The last day to request that an absentee ballot be mailed to you is Nov. 1, 2011.
• In-person absentee voting starts Sept. 23, 2011.
• The last day for in-person absentee voting is Nov. 5, 2011.

Absentee Voting In-Person will take place at three locations (flier of Absentee Voting details for this election):

The Office of Voter Registration and Elections
9250 Lee Avenue, Suite 1, Manassas, VA 20110-5554
Office hours:
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Extended hours:
4 Thursdays, Oct. 13 to Nov. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
2 Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Voter Registration office in the Woodbridge Department of Motor Vehicles
2731 Caton Hill Road
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Office hours:
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon
Extended hours:
4 Thursdays, Oct. 13 to Nov. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
2 Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, noon to 5 p.m.

Haymarket Museum
15025 Washington Street
Haymarket, VA  20169
Limited Hours:
4 Thursdays, Oct. 13 to Nov. 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
2 Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

GOP voters favor conservatives in Senate primaries

In balloting shaken up by a Virginia-centered “once-in-a-century” earthquake that forced some voting precincts to move operations outdoors, the GOP and Democratic parties set up sharp contrasts in November elections that will determine whether Republicans take total control of Virginia policymaking for the first time in 10 years.

In the Senate, a net Republican gain of two seats would create a 20-20 split in the 40-member chamber, but Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling holds the tie-breaking vote. Republicans already control the House of Delegates and the governor’s office.

Among the Republican winners was former state GOP Chairman Jeff Frederick, a former Virginia House member who defeated Tito “The Builder” Munoz in the 36th Senate District. Munoz, a Colombian immigrant and contractor running his first campaign, gained a nickname and fleeting fame from a cameo campaign appearance in 2008 alongside Sarah Palin in Prince William County. Frederick challenges Democratic Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller in November.

Another conservative former House member, Dick Black, won the GOP nomination in the 13th Senate District.