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This is the second and final installment of an interview with nationally known political scientist Dr. Bob Holsworth. The former Virginia Commonwealth University dean is a regular commentator on Virginia and national politics. His writes for national and state publications, as well as on his widely read blog, Virginia Tomorrow, and is a frequent guest on television and radio. He also is an in-demand public speaker and heads his own consultancy. In yesterday’s first installment, we covered the current session of the General Assembly and touched on national politics. Today, we look at Virginia’s version of health care legislation, the upcoming 2010 mid-term elections, discuss U.S. Senator Jim Webb’s 2012 prospects, and examine the Tea Party movement in Virginia.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Which is the most interesting GOP Congressional District nominating contest — the 5th, 2nd or 11th — and why? How do you see those campaigns playing out?

Dr. Bob Holsworth: All of these races are very interesting because each of them is competitive. The number of entrants indicate that Republicans believe that 2010 may be a once in a generation opportunity, a year that could potentially rival 1994 in terms of GOP success. At the moment, the battle for the 5th District nomination to challenge Tom Perriello might be the most fascinating, if only because of the number of forces that are, or potentially are, in play, including ones that may have national implications.

There’s Robert Hurt, a highly respected member of the Senate who has considerable support from the party’s national establishment, but who is also being challenged largely by a set of conservative activists who maintain that Hurt has not been sufficiently supportive of low-tax, small government principles. One question that is being raised is whether the anti-Hurt forces will actually coalesce behind a single candidate or divide their vote in a primary? Recently, things have even gotten more complicated. At least one of the candidates currently in the nomination contest says that he is considering dropping out and running as an independent.

Moreover, Virgil Goode has said that he has not made up his mind about a possible challenge and could even run as an independent Republican. A poll out today says that in a three way race between Hurt, Perriello, and Goode, the former Congressman is in a tie with Perriello with Hurt running third. In any event, I think that a lot of national media will be looking at the 5th to see if the GOP can negotiate its internal tensions productively, something that will have to achieved if a candidate who is hard working and energetic as Tom Perriello is to be defeated.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Is there a credible Republican candidate in the wings to challenge Rick Boucher in the 9th Congressional District? Is Representative Boucher vulnerable?

Dr. Holsworth: It is usually very, very difficult to defeat a long-term incumbent such as Rick Boucher who has been widely applauded for his constituent service, even if a number of his votes may not be consistent with majority views in his district. But if there is a year in which Boucher is vulnerable, 2010 may be it. The problem for the GOP here is very different than in the 2nd, 5th and 11th — it’s not clear that the Republicans can recruit a strong challenger. Terry Kilgore and William Wampler have said no, though Eric Cantor was in town yesterday to see if “No” really means “No.” Morgan Griffith has said, however, that he is seriously considering entering the contest. If he does, he’ll be a formidable challenger — he’s tough, politically very skilled, and a very hard worker. But even with Griffith, this would be a tough race, because Boucher has built up a lot of support in the localities that make up the district. But if Morgan enters, it’ll be a great race.

FamilyFoundationBlog: How do you see the Tea Party movement in Virginia? Are these people disgruntled conservatives who normally vote Republican showing displeasure at the party (and who may have sat out in 2008) or are they new people getting involved for the first time who can make a difference in upcoming elections?

Dr. Holsworth: I think that it’s difficult to say that there is one kind of person attracted to the Tea Party. I think that there are a number of Republican conservatives disgruntled with what Glenn Beck calls “Progressives.” I also think that there are many of the same kind of independents who were initially attracted to Ross Perot in 1992 — ”the government is broken, we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.” And I think that there are also some people who may not have been very much involved in politics before, but have become mobilized by what they consider to be an inappropriate and ineffective response by the federal government to the economic downturn. It seems to me that they represent sentiments that are fairly broadly distributed at the moment throughout the general population and political figures would be foolish to ignore their perspective in 2010. At the same time, it is not so clear how their influence inside GOP nomination battles will play out and whether this will be positive or negative for the GOP in the general elections. This is one of the reasons why I’m watching the 5th District very closely since it has what appears to be a large and relatively organized set of Tea Party activists.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Are you surprised at how quickly and smoothly the Health Care Freedom legislation has moved through the General Assembly, especially in the Senate?

Dr. Holsworth: Yes. At least until you see that the five Democratic legislators sit in districts where (Governor Bob) McDonnell ran strong and where their own seats could be in jeopardy.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Speaking of health care, as well as all the new government spending Tea Party activists abhor, do you think Senators Webb and Warner have endangered their re-elections by voting for these programs? Will the new conservative movement stay active that long?

Dr. Holsworth: 2014 for Warner is a long, long way off. Webb will obviously have a serious Republican challenger. Webb will not be easy to pigeonhole because there will be numerous instances in both foreign and domestic policy where he will part company with the administration and the Democratic congressional leadership. A big question regarding Webb is how his progressive economic populism be viewed. Will he seen as too liberal for Virginia economically or as authentic guy willing to stand up for the voiceless?

FamilyFoundationBlog: Dr. Holsworth, thank you very much for your time. Your thoughts are always informative and I know our readers have learned a lot.

Below is the first part of a two part interview with nationally known political scientist Dr. Bob Holsworth, a regular commentator on Virginia and national politics. His articles and commentary can be read in publications and on the Internet, and heard on television and radio. He is a frequent speaker to numerous organizations, heads a consultancy, and is the editor of the widely read blog, Virginia Tomorrow. Today, we talk about the current session of the General Assembly and touch on national politics.

FamilyFoundationBlog.com: Dr. Holsworth, it’s a great honor to have you answer some questions on our blog about the General Assembly and Virginia politics in general. So, thank you very much for participating in this interview. We greatly appreciate your valuable time and look forward to your insights and are big fans of your blog, Virginia Tomorrow. Are you ready for some questions?

Dr. Bob Holsworth: Thanks very much for the opportunity to be on your site.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Has anything surprised you about this session of the General Assembly? Has the Republican sweep and increased House of Delegates majority created a visible difference or is it too early to tell (i.e., waiting for the budget)?

Dr. Holsworth: Certainly, the Republican sweep in the House has made it even easier for the GOP to control the legislative outcomes in that chamber. But the Democratic control of the Senate can still pose substantial hurdles for the Governor and the House GOP. I was surprised that five Democrats in the Senate supported the Health Care Freedom legislation, symbolically repudiating former Governor Kaine and President Obama. All of these Democrats are in districts where the GOP could field competitive challengers and this tells you just how concerned Democrats have become about the impact of the national mood here in Virginia. At the same time, Senate Dems have summarily dismissed part of the McDonnell agenda such as dedicating royalties for off-shore drilling to transportation and changing the budget cycle. What will happen with the overall budget is still up in the air as Senate Dems actually disagree if they should present a budget that includes some of the tax increases in (former) Governor Kaine’s recommended document or acknowledge the political reality that there will be no major tax increases and present a budget accordingly, even if it inconsistent with what they would really want to propose.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Governor Bob McDonnell ran on a jobs-creation platform and de-emphasized social issues. But social issues do play a role in the budget. Do you think he will go so far as to de-fund Planned Parenthood?

Dr. Holsworth: I think that you have phrased the question well. Some folks have said that McDonnell ran as a “moderate.” My sense is that he ran as an economic conservative and gave less priority in the campaign to his social conservatism. I fully expect that McDonnell will sign almost all bills with a “social conservative” orientation that emerge from the legislative process. What’s not entirely clear is how far his own proposals will move in this direction. He obviously made a symbolic change when he removed sexual orientation from the non-discrimination executive order with respect to state government workers. The question of whether he’ll propose a budget amendment to de-fund panned parenthood will be seen by many of his supporters as a test of whether he will implement the values of social conservatism in the budget. If he does, there will be a substantial fight in the Senate and the media will surely portray it as a switch from the “moderation” of the campaign. If he doesn’t, he’ll disappoint a segment of his core supporters.

FamilyFoundationBlog: If Governor McDonnell proposes a host of “fees” instead of taxes to close the budget gap, how will that affect his support on the right? creation

Dr. Holsworth: If McDonnell is perceived as simply playing semantics with taxes, it will harm him not only with the right, but with many independents as well. He was very clear during the election about his belief that revenue increases should primarily come from economic growth and I would be very surprised if he has a post-election conversion to a different point of view, especially in this political environment.

FamilyFoundationBlog: Governor McDonnell is getting a lot of positive attention right now — giving the GOP response to the State of the Union, doing several national interviews, even one for Newt Gingrich’s newsletter. Does he runs the risk of raising his own expectations?

Dr. Holsworth: I think of the smartest moves the new Governor made was to cancel his national interviews the day after his SOTU response. Virginians have made it clear that his first priority as Governor should be the Commonwealth and, in the long run, McDonnell’s national stature will be most enhanced by having a strong approval rating in-state.

FamilyFoundationBlog: What chances do you give of real reforms this or next year in areas of budgeting and in recalculating SOQ spending?

Dr. Holsworth: The Senate has already rejected a key McDonnell proposal on changing the two year budget cycle. Recalculating SOQ spending has been an issue that many House Republicans have pointed to over the last few years as a reform necessary to rein in future budget increases. We’ve seen some willingness from both parties to look at items such as staffing ratios regarding non-instructional personnel. If there ever would be a time where the entire SOQ calculation would be readjusted, it would be in the kind of fiscal environment we have now. But polls show that schools remain extremely high on the public’s priority list. In aggregate, school groups (teachers, superintendents, school boards, and principals) are extraordinarily well organized and very politically effective. Moreover, Virginia schools overall seem to perform extremely well — just this week, we ranked third in the nation in AP testing. I believe that the effort for major permanent structural changes in school funding will have substantial hurdles to overcome.

FamilyFoundationBlog: What are your thoughts on former Governor Doug Wilder calling for Tim Kaine’s removal as Democrat National Committee chairman?

Dr. Holsworth: Former Governor Wilder noted that he had supported Tim Kaine for Vice-President, but did not feel that the DNC Chair was the best fit for his talents and skills. My guess is that there are a number of Democratic activists who are more comfortable with the sharp edges of a Howard Dean than the more cerebral approach to the position of Tim Kaine. The proof, of course, will be in the November pudding. Kaine will succeed if Democrats do far better than expected. But if November is a Democratic debacle, Kaine will be fingered for part of the blame.

Be sure to check back with us tomorrow afternoon for part two of our interview with Dr. Bob Holsworth as we look at next year’s Congressional elections in Virginia, Senator Jim Webb’s prospects in 2012, and the Tea Party movement.

One of our intrepid lobbyists was in the General Assembly Building the other day, minding her own business, waiting for a certain bill to come up in the very laborious House Courts of Justice Committee. These committee meetings can be very hard to sit through — lots of legal minutia to deal with. So, many people mingle in the lobby and peek in from time to time to see where there bill is on the docket, often to find that the bill on the docket an hour ago is still getting the treatment.

That was the case with my colleague, who decided to take a seat in the lobby next to three oblivious pro-abortion activists who were in the midst of a major gripe session. The cause of their angst? It seems, our very own, Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb — and her husband, Matt. As my colleague tells it:

Three women, who by their conversation were clearly pro-abortion, were making plans for their upcoming lobby day. They praised the recent NARAL report that fabricated allegations against pregnancy resource centers, saying they had read it cover to cover and felt it was very well done. They spoke about remembering when NARAL recruited volunteers as undercover “investigators” and wished they had been available to volunteer. They talked about the PRC bills killed the previous night — within an hour of each other — in both a House and a very liberal Senate sub-committee, and lamented their defeat.

Then I heard Victoria’s name from Woman Number 1 and something about how she just couldn’t stand Victoria and her “anti-choice ways.” She said something to the effect of, “ There are some crazy people out there who think that way, but she’s just deplorable.” Then, it went like this:

Woman Number 2: Oh, but have you heard about her husband?

Woman Number 1 and Woman 3 shook their heads no.

Woman Number 2: He’s been appointed Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources by McDonnell (see Norfolk Virginian-Pilot).”

Woman Number 1 and Woman Number 3: No!

Woman Number 3: They’re taking over the world! Do they have any children?

Woman Number 1 and Woman 2 shrugged, shook their heads in disgust, and continued on with their gripe, no doubt wondering what good a working for a lefty Senate is when they can’t even get their priority bill out of a Senate sub-committee.

People from all over the Commonwealth of Virginia are – some already have – descending on Richmond for the inaugural activities for the Old Dominion’s 71st governor, Governor-elect Bob McDonnell, re-elected Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, and Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli. Many of you may be on your way here for the swearing-in and the many parties and events, such as our Patrick Henry “Liberty or Death Speech” program.

We want your impressions of all the celebratory activities. Let us know! There are so many events and stories to tell: Whom did you meet? What did you think of the inaugural address? Did you like the parade? Any great photos? Maybe you were at one of the events during the week you can tell us about. What do you think of the food and clothing donation program? Even if you can’t be in Richmond, feel free to comment on the television coverage and your impressions from afar.

Check it out and compare notes with friend and others. Post as much as you like. We look forward to reading about all the great times. As an advance notice, we’ll do the same thing for our Lobby Day Monday, when several hundred more of you will be in town to lobby your legislators on behalf of traditional family values. Until then, have a safe and celebratory weekend, and we’ll see you in Richmond and online!

As we anticipated, Republican Kerry Bolognese has announced his intention to seek the 41st district House of Delegates seat (see statement), left vacant with the election of Dave Marsden to the Virginia Senate from the 37th Senate district in last Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat left vacant by Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli. Bolognese ran an aggressive grassroots campaign in the Fairfax County district in the November general election and nearly defeated Marsden, falling short of a major upset by a couple of hundred votes. Because of that campaign, he may be considered the front runner and could give the House GOP a seventh new seat for this election cycle. Nothing says “favorite” louder than the date of the election set by Governor Tim Kaine — March 2. In the statement he released in announcing the election, he said:

It is important that the voters of the 41st district have a voice in the legislative process. Holding the special election on March 2 will not only give voters time to learn about the candidates, but will allow for the distribution and return of ballots from voters overseas, including our men and women in the armed forces.

So, the governor is going out on a humorous note: The election is scheduled just a week or so before the current General Assembly session ends. How much representation is that? It’s not as if he hasn’t schedule special elections in 30 days or less before, such as last year’s vote to replace former Delegate Brian Moran. The difference? The likelihood of a Democrat win.

Perhaps funnier is the altruism of counting the military’s ballots. Remember this? The Fairfax County registrar threatened not to count military ballots in 2008. It was then Attorney General Bob McDonnell who issued an opinion to count them while the governor remained silent; this while the same Fairfax registrar was registering inmates to vote.

This is the fourth in a series of five policy statements on issues that will come before the 2010 General Assembly. The third, regarding constitutional government, can be found here. Each statement covers one of The Family Foundation’s five areas of principle. We will post the fifth issue by early next week.

As with every General Assembly session, the usual suspects will show up promoting legislation that The Family Foundation believes would be harmful to the family or to the values that we share. Of particular note this year, there again are several bills that attempt to extend special rights to homosexuals based on their lifestyle choice.

In the aftermath of Congress passing and President Obama signing legislation that added sexual orientation to federal hate crimes laws, there is legislation that would do the same in Virginia. As we argued against the federal extension, this is a solution in search of a problem. There is absolutely no evidence anywhere that crimes against homosexuals are not being prosecuted, which was the original point of hate crimes statues.

There also is an effort to add sexual orientation to anti-discrimination laws, both for state government and localities’ hiring practices. This annual attempt at “gotcha politics” is of course intended to make anyone who opposes it appear discriminatory. Elected officials often are quizzed on whether or not they discriminate against homosexuals as if that should be a question on the employment application. Unfortunately for proponents, one of their biggest allies — The Washington Post — admitted in an editorial recently that there are “thousands of gays in state government.” There is absolutely no need for this legislation and no evidence of any discrimination given the lack of claims from these thousands.

Also this year, there are additional attempts at expanding so-called domestic partner benefits. Several years ago, despite our warning that such a change would open a floodgate, the General Assembly passed legislation that allowed some businesses to contract with health insurance companies to grant benefits outside of the longstanding standards of “blood, marriage or adoption.” Those standards were always intended to encourage and support marriages and families. Since then, there have been several attempts at expanding this loophole to life insurance, and there will be new attempts this year as well. Already, we’ve seen outgoing Governor Tim Kaine’s blatant political attempt to change state regulations in this area, knowing that the final decision maker will be Governor-elect Bob McDonnell. Unfortunately, in the General Assembly, when the principles of families and business compete, the family is often the loser.

Finally, in what will likely amount to a waste of everyone’s time, there is legislation seeking to repeal the Marriage Amendment passed by the voters in 2006. This bill will be introduced despite the fact that more 30 states now have marriage amendments and three statewide candidates that supported the Virginia Marriage Amendment won landslide elections in November.

We will be ever vigilant watching for other legislation that undermines our values and impacts our families. We will be at the capitol every day during session advocating on your behalf and against harmful legislation, and chronically it all here.

Rumors are bouncing off the statues in Capitol Square and, for some Republicans, the inauguration bloom of its statewide sweep has come off before the big event Saturday.

It all has to do with the loss of Stephen Hunt to Dave Marsden in the 37th Senate district special election Tuesday to fill the seat left vacant with the election of Ken Cuccinelli as attorney general. A 300 vote loss which may put some close votes out of reach of Republicans in a Virginia Senate with an expanded Democrat majority in the will do that.

Among the small talk in the GAB and Capitol Square is that Cuccinelli wanted to “run” the campaign since he has an extensive and dedicated grassroots network in place, while the McDonnell people said it was now their turf as head of the party. Others say the loss belongs solely to those responsible for the lack of an absentee ballot apparatus that lost those votes by more than 400, more than the margin of difference. Others blame the Fairfax GOP, that they were lethargic and/or overconfident: While Hunt did well in Dem precincts, even winning some Cuccinelli lost in 2007, he didn’t have anywhere near Cuccinelli’s margins in Republican precincts.

Adding to the frustration — and infighting — is the other hot rumor: That a Democrat senator would have retired if Hunt had one, apparently one who represents a conservative district, allowing for another special election which would’ve tipped the chamber back to the GOP. Instead, the Dems, despite their November shallacking, are as emboldened as ever in the Senate, and prepared to stifle the new governor’s agenda.

This is the third in a series of five policy statements on issues that will come before the 2010 General Assembly. The second, regarding life, can be found here. Each statement covers one of The Family Foundation’s five areas of principle. The others will follow over the rest of the week.

Today marked the beginning of the 2010 General Assembly session. Twenty new members of the House of Delegates and two new members of the state Senate joined 118 incumbent legislators today to begin the new session. If one word can appropriately sum up the dominating focus of this year’s legislature it’s this:

$ Money $.

Not that money and the budget aren’t usually the dominate theme, but since the General Assembly is tasked with forming a budget covering the next two fiscal years, beginning July 1, and with spending at an all time high and revenues plummeting because of the economy, the pressure is on like no other time in recent memory. Governor-elect Bob McDonnell, who will take the oath of office Saturday, won his election by promising to not raise the tax burden on Virginia’s families and businesses. Some in the General Assembly are likely to fight for tax increases to cover the estimated $4 billion deficit in the current budget, plus projected revenue shortfalls for the next budget. Governor Kaine proposed an increase in the income tax to cover the “shortfall.”

Truth be told, the problem they face is self-inflicted. By passing budgets and budget amendments in 2008 and 2009 that projected large revenue increases even as the economy was shrinking, and relying on one time windfalls from federal “stimulus” packages, the General Assembly and Governor Tim Kaine (Daily Press) made the bed in which they, and Governor-elect McDonnell, now lie.

Already, special interest groups and citizens have lined up at budget meetings pleading their case for their special needs to not be cut. Some claim that “the fat” has been trimmed so now we have to cut core services or raise taxes. Others live an illusion that fat alone will cover the deficits. The fact is, substantive changes have to be made to how the state allocates money for government education and social services programs.

The phrase “budget deficit” is a misnomer. In fact, the problem always had been a “spending surplus.” Virginia government has plenty of money from the hardworking families of Virginia. What too many of our elected officials don’t have is the ability to control their spending habits.

The Family Foundation will monitor the budget talks all session and advocate proposals that will save taxpayers anything from small amounts of money to potentially billions of dollars. For example:

» Once and for all, we must stop taxpayer subsidies of the radical pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood (LifeNews.com). There is no reason this $1 billion organization should receive money from the taxpayers, especially in difficult economic times.

» The Family Foundation has asked Delegate Chris Peace (R-97, Mechanicsville) to submit legislation calling for a study to find out how much money would be saved by making Family Life Education, or sex-ed, an “opt-in” class instead of the current “opt-out.”

» The most significant savings the taxpayers would see is by finally giving families the freedom to choose the type of education they want for their children through a tuition tax credit program. Not only would this save money, it would reduce class sizes, thus improving student-to-teacher ratios, increase per-pupil spending for students that stay in public schools, and improve the education outcomes for all Virginia’s school children.

» SOQ reform.

There are many who believe that we must continue to prop up state government by once again increasing the tax burden on families, even if these difficult times. The simple question for them is this: When does it stop? How much of our income is the government entitled to? Ten percent? Thirty? Fifty? All of it? Where do we draw the line?

We believe the line must be drawn here and now. Government must become more efficient and less intrusive. Freedom must be its ultimate purpose, not the redistribution of our wealth. If we are unable to stop this General Assembly from raising our tax burden now, we may never be able to again.

Session hasn’t started yet and already we have a Quote of the Day. However, it comes as no surprise as today is the second Tuesday of the month which means it’s Tuesday Morning Group Coalition meeting day. TMG President and dear friend John Taylor supplies it, and it wins not only for its self-deprecating humor, but because it mentions . . . us!

At downtown Richmond’s Bull & Bear Club, high atop the James Center in the capital’s financial district, Taylor, whose sense of humor is matched only by his assured and ready opinions on constitutional government (see his Tea Party speech), recounted a story relevant to a recent cabinet appointment by Governor-elect Bob McDonnell. But first, the punchline:

Years ago the Family Foundation sponsored a conference on education. … They asked me to moderate a panel — mainly because they didn’t want me to speak!

Now, about that story: On the panel that Taylor moderated was none other than Senator Henry Marsh (D-16, Richmond), one of the General Assembly’s most obstinate liberal reform obstructionists on education as well as other issues. Marsh, who is black, outrageously said that after all the hardships to desegregate public schools, the school choice and charter school movement was the effort to re-segregate public schools. After he finished his demagoguery, a young black man on the panel, of whom Taylor was not familiar, stood up and said, (from Tertium Quids):

Where once George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse doorway to keep black kids out, some politicians (like Marsh) were now standing in the doorway to keep them from leaving.

Marsh left the meeting very soon afterwards.

That young man was Gerard Robinson, nominated yesterday by Governor-elect McDonnell to be Secretary of Education (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot). Come to think of it, even though it was years ago, Secretary Robinson’s remark to Senator Marsh, makes a dynamite QOD. Sorry, John.

Annotations & Elucidations

Brit And Tiger, Lisa And Isabella

The News Stand had an unexpected return to hiatus the last two days because of a sudden illness. The News is dominated by Governor-elect Bob McDonnell’s cabinet — who he picked, how much salary they’ll make (his as well), and what they’ll be allowed to do in their off-time.  

In political news, the Washington Post looks at the issue of Delegate Dave Marsden’s residency in the 37th Senate district special election (January 12). Delegate Marsden, who is running against Republican Stephen Hunt, moved into the district only a few weeks ago and lives in a room in a friend’s house. Hunt, meanwhile, is hoping to hold the seat vacated by Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli, and is expected to be the only candidate to appear tonight at the Fairfax Family Forum candidate forum. Meanwhile, values and faith issues occupy the National News and Commentary sections: The Isabella Miller custody case has the attention of Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Michael Paul Williams, who quotes our president, Victoria Cobb, and Fox News Channel’s Brit Hume has raised the hackles of some with his comments on Tiger Woods . . . specifically, how he can save his spiritual life through Jesus.  

News

Va. state Senate candidate Marsden faces residency issue (Washington Post)

McDonnell announces three more Cabinet choices (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

McDonnell picks N.Va. executive for technology post (Washington Post)

McDonnell, Cabinet to take unspecified pay cuts (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

McDonnell will reduce salaries (The Daily Press)

McDonnell vows to cut his own pay (Roanoke Times)

McDonnell OK with secretary on boards (Roanoke Times/Norfolk Virginian-Pliot)

Sledd defends keeping corporate board seats (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

McDonnell to let Va. Cabinet heads serve on corporate boards (Washington Post)

Public can weigh in on state budget today (The Daily Press)

Two GOP lobbyists switching firms (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Loudoun County’s nondiscrimination policy expanded to protect gays (Washington Post)

Businessman Scott Rigell launches congressional campaign (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Contempt citation sought in same-sex custody case (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

National News

Comments on Buddhism, Tiger Woods upset faithful (AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Gay-marriage foes slam plans to televise Prop 8 trial (Washington Times)

Commentary

*Custody case defies ideology in some ways (Michael Paul Williams/Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Persecution for the Brit Hume Witness (Peter Sprigg/FRC Blog)