'Deal' pays dividends in Va. for Bolling, McDonnell

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By Sarah Abruzzese

Virginia Republicans Robert F. McDonnell and Bill Bolling struck an unusual deal to unify the top of the GOP ticket more than a year before Election Day.

Instead of running against the then-Virginia attorney general for the gubernatorial nomination, Lt. Gov. Bolling deferred to Mr. McDonnell and sought re-election to his current office.

So far, the plan appears to have paid off. Heading into Election Day on Tuesday, both candidates hold double-digit leads over their Democratic opponents. Mr. McDonnell is quick to praise his fellow Republican for putting his political ambitions on hold.

"Bill Bolling has done an enormous service to unify our party," Mr. McDonnell told The Washington Times on Saturday.

When the deal was struck, Virginia Republicans were still reeling from a rift between anti-tax conservatives and moderate Republicans who supported a $1.38 billion tax increase to fund transportation under then-Gov. Mark Warner. Several moderate Republicans lost primary fights, while others retired.

By 2008, Republicans had lost two consecutive gubernatorial races and lost control of the state Senate and one of the state's U.S. Senate seats. That year they would also lose the state's second U.S. Senate seat and see a Democratic presidential candidate win Virginia for the first time since 1964.

"When I made my decision to run for re-election, it was March of 2008. That wasn't a real good time for Republicans," Mr. Bolling said. "The president's approval rating was 28 percent. Being a Republican was just next to having H1N1."

So after much thought, Mr. Bolling called Mr. McDonnell and told his friend of 14 years that he should run for governor.