THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 20, 1996 TAG: 9607200019
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 53 lines
Former U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen's surprise decision to drop out of the GOP race for attorney general is a loss for Virginia but a gain for Virginia Beach state Sen. Kenneth Stolle.
Cullen, regarded by many as the front-runner for the No. 3 spot on the GOP ticket, came out of western Virginia's moderate Republican tradition. His conservative credentials are substantial, but his hands-on work to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods through the Weed & Seed program and his critical role in passage of a monthly handgun-purchase limit broadened his appeal.
Not unlike U.S. Sen. John Warner, Cullen stood to expand the party's base by attracting middle-of-the-road voters. Also patterning after Warner, Cullen might have had a harder time winning the GOP nomination than the general election.
Political pundits speculate that Cullen's departure was prodded by the opposition of the National Rifle Association. Cullen's enthusiasm for gun control centered on the gun-a-month purchase law, which has demonstrably curtailed gunrunning from Virginia to the Northeast. But any transgression is one too many for the NRA.
Cullen dismissed outside pressures as the reason for his decision, however. He cited rigors of the campaign trail and the time away from his family as deterrents. The father of four, Cullen said a turning point came recently when he gave his youngest son a set of golf clubs and realized that it would be almost two years before they would have time to play.
For those who live, as well as talk, family values, political life takes a heavy toll.
Fortunately for the public-policy arena, some politicians are willing to bear the weight.
Stolle, who is in his second term in the state Senate, moves to the forefront in the GOP contest. He brings cross-factional appeal and regional symmetry to the contest. A GOP ticket headed by Attorney General Jim Gilmore of Richmond, followed by Northern Virginia businessman Coleman Andrews for lieutenant governor and Stolle would have appealing regional diversity.
The addition of Stolle could be particularly important at a time when Democrats can't hope to win statewide unless they do well in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
Stolle, a power player in the Senate, is not problem-free, however. Recently, he has faced several nagging questions: his brother's patronage appointment to the lucrative post of commissioner of accounts in Virginia Beach, and the role of the Christian Coalition in his 1991 race, among them.
Nor is the opposition conceding. Currently, Stolle's only opponent for the nomination is Fairfax attorney Gilbert Davis, who represents Paula Jones in her lawsuit against President Clinton. But the field will almost certainly grow - perhaps with Chesapeake Sen. Mark Earley - now that Cullen is gone.
We welcome any candidate whose record of public service is as solid and multi-dimensional as Cullen's. The political process could use more like him. by CNB