By Jeff Goldberg // WJLA-TV // July 24, 2013

….Before leaving for Afghanistan on Tuesday, the Governor put out a statement saying he has paid back more than 120 thousand in loans to Williams, and apologizes for the loans and the gifts, “While they were legal, if they undermined the trust I am deeply sorry that has happened and I take full responsibility for that.”

Political science professor Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington University said: “I can imagine there are a lot of people who have been stopped by police or questioned by authorities who wish saying ‘sorry’ would get them out of trouble. It doesn’t work like that.”

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By Michael Lee Pope // WAMU-FM // July 24, 2013

In Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell is returning $124,000 worth of loans from a wealthy Virginia businessman.

In a statement from McDonnell’s private legal and communications team, the governor is apologizing for “the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens.”

The apology comes along with an announcement that he is repaying two loans from wealthy Virginia businessman Jonnie Williams, CEO of Star Scientific, who is at the center of a growing scandal involving undisclosed gifts….

“The Swiss cheese of Virginia laws do not require him to return any of this. But this act of contrition can help the governor survive the next several months politically,” says University of Mary Washington professor Stephen Farnsworth.

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Fight For Democratic Lieutenant Governor Nod In Virginia Heats Up
By: Michael Pope // June 5, 2013 // WAMU

In Virginia, Democrats will be heading to the polls next week to select a candidate for lieutenant governor, and the campaign this year is hotter than ever.

The race for lieutenant governor is usually a sleeper, but this year things are different. That’s because the state Senate is split: 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans, which means the winner determines which party has control. University of Mary Washington professor Stephen Farnsworth says the Republican candidate, E.W. Jackson, is a controversial selection who struggled to get five percent in last year’s statewide Republican primary.

“That leaves the Democrats perhaps with a little bit more latitude. They can choose who they please and the consequences are probably not as dire if they were going up against, say, Bill Bolling again,” Farnsworth says.

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Virginia Gubernatorial Race Briefly Turns To Issues, Though Scandal Looms
By: Michael Pope // WAMU radio // May 9, 2013

“In Virginia, candidates for governor have spent the week rolling out new policy positions. Still, scandal looms on both sides.

“Democrat Terry McAuliffe is crossing the commonwealth on an official launch tour, talking about modifying the Standards of Learning test for public school students and expanding workforce training at community colleges. Meanwhile Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinnelli says he would like to reduce or eliminate the business and professional occupancy license taxes.

“For a campaign that’s been all about scandal and intrigue for months, politics have suddenly become about government. But University of Mary Washington professor Stephen Farnsworth says that’s probably temporary.

“‘The real focus on these campaigns will occur in the fall, so it isn’t as if the candidates risk boring people. Nobody is really paying attention at this stage,'” he says.

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Virginia voters not tuned in to governor’s race
May 5, 2013, WTOP
By Hank Silverberg

“Democrat Terry McAuliffe will officially kick off his campaign for governor this week with a series of policy speeches across the state. The campaign comes as a new Washington Post poll shows voters have not really begun to follow the race between him and Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.”

“The poll found that barely 10 percent of Virginia voters are following the race “closely” and nearly half of the voters are undecided. Seventy percent of the state’s voters know little or nothing at all about McAuliffe, who has never held public office before, and that number includes 65 percent of Democrats. Fifty-two percent of voters say they know little about Cuccinelli’s qualifications for the job.”

“Steve Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, says the results are not surprising. ‘Right now people are much more worried about weddings and college graduations and how to get their summer vacation together,’ he says.”

“The race is drawing intense scrutiny across the country as the lone competitive match-up in November.”

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