The Obenshain remains the same: GOP candidate for AG little different than Cuccinelli on issues

At least one national Republican group, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), appears to have gone “all in” for Virginia GOP candidate for attorney general Mark Obenshain, leaving current Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his ‘running mate’, E.W. Jackson, in further electoral dire straits. On Friday, the leadership committee contributed $660,000 to Sen. Obenshain’s campaign, bringing the committee’s total Obenshain contributions to $2.6 million, the largest amount the Virginia state senator has been able to raise from any other sources.

According to its website, the RSLC is “is the largest caucus of Republican state leaders in the country and is the only national organization whose mission is electing Republicans to the office of attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and legislator.” What this means for Cuccinelli and Jackson is clear: Obenshain is seen by the RSLC as having the best shot at being elected on November 5^th.

A Christopher Newport University report released on October 8, 2013 showed a 3 percent “edge” for Democratic candidate for attorney general, Mark Herring, an edge that the report noted is within the poll’s margin of error. Thus, Herring and Obenshain could be tied for attorney general.

In case you wanted to see a comprehensive list of Obenshain’s positions on issues pertinent to Virginians however, you’ll have to rummage through his public statements, introduced legislation, and other campaign activities since he has declined to tell Virginians where he stands. Why would anyone vote for a political candidate who won’t make their positions on issues freely known to their constituents? Of course, 

Obenshain has good reason to hide his issue positions from Virginians.

While Mark Obenshain has done his best to keep his distance from Cuccinelli’s falling political star, the truth is that Obenshain is little different in terms of issue positions than the extremists Cuccinelli and Jackson. The Republican Party ticket for this November’s general election is packed full of extremist nut-jobs, in other words.   

If Virginians want more fear and government intervention into their private lives, then by all means vote for Mark Obenshain. If not, please look a little bit closer at the issue positions of Mark Herring and Mark Obenshain. One of these candidates stands for tolerance and a positive vision for Virginia. The other, well, not so much.