UPDATE: It’s official, NVTC has announced their endorsement of Ken Cuccinelli for Governor, despite McAuliffe’s arm twisting and bullying. Story here.
Northern Virginia Technology Council, representing 1,000 businesses and organizations has chosen to endorse Ken Cuccinelli. On Thursday they interviewed both candidates for Governor and found McAuliffe’s answers to be shallow and lacking in understanding of the issues. They were impressed with Ken’s answers and his knowledge of business in Virginia. NVTC then voted by secret ballot to endorse Ken Cuccinelli for Governor. Both candidates were informed of the decision. The endorsement was to be announced at 1:00 on Friday. But it didn’t happen. Why? Short answer, because Terry McAullife and his supporters had a hissy fit and began threatening members of the group. From the Washington Post:
High-powered Terry McAuliffe supporters made a furious attempt over the weekend to reverse a Washington area business group’s endorsement of Republican Ken Cuccinelli II for governor, with state legislators warning that “doors will be closed” to the group if it sticks by its choice.
The pressure exerted on the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s political arm, Tech PAC, by a U.S. senator, a Republican lieutenant governor at odds with Cuccinelli and several others suggests that McAuliffe’s campaign is worried that a Cuccinelli endorsement could undermine the central premise of the Democrat’s campaign — that he, an entrepreneur who started his first venture at 14, is the pro-business candidate and that Cuccinelli, a social conservative popular with the tea party, is too extreme for the state’s centrist business leaders.
Ummm, I wonder which Republican lieutenant Governor that would be? Sounds like that REPUBLICAN Lieutenant Governor is supporting a democrat for Governor. No surprise there. How nice of McAuliffe supporters to threaten the Council, revealing themselves to be the thugs that that are. The good news is, NVTC will not reverse their decision to endorse Ken Cuccinelli for Governor.
