Perhaps it was inevitable that eventually, Republican Ken Cuccinelli would end up explicitly running against incumbent Republican governor Bob McDonnell.
Cuccinelli’s ad from last week had generic language that could be seen as a subtle shot at McDonnell’s controversy over accepting massive gifts and failing to disclose them:
Our tax code should encourage middle class families and small businesses, not reward the powerful and well-connected. Special interests shouldn’t get special treatment. As your governor, I’ll fight to make sure everybody has a fair shot.
The newest television ad from the Cuccinelli campaign is much more direct. A narrator declares, “Cuccinelli personally launched the investigation into Bob McDonnell and called for immediate reform to strengthen ethics laws.” The ad begins with a slam at McAuliffe’s GreenTech Automotive scandal, and notes Cuccinelli was cleared by the Democratic state’s attorney for Richmond on any wrongdoing in his own acceptance of gifts.