Federal shutdown hits bitter Virginia governor's race

By John Whitesides

Oct 1, 2013

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government shutdown spilled on Tuesday into the bitter governor's race in Virginia, where Republican Ken Cuccinelli hopes to avoid political damage from the federal closure powered by his allies in the conservative Tea Party movement.

Cuccinelli, a combative social conservative, and Democrat Terry McAuliffe both tried to gain an advantage on Tuesday by linking their opponent to the stalemate, although analysts said the Republican would be the most vulnerable in a prolonged shutdown......

"For Ken Cuccinelli, this is nothing but bad news," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at Virginia's University of Mary Washington. "This is not his fault, but he'll be the one who pays the price for what Republicans in Congress are doing."

The struggle over government funding and Republican efforts to link it to Obama's healthcare law has a special significance in Virginia, home to tens of thousands of now-idled federal workers, a heavy military presence and many federal contractors.

Link to article -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shutdown, Obamacare factor into governor's race

By Michael Welles Shapiro, Daily Press October 1, 2013

It's usually the simplest question to deflect for statewide candidates on the hustings.

The response? Some variation on "That's a federal issue."

But the looming government shutdown and implementation of President Barack Obama's health care reform law have such potency that they can't be easily brushed aside in Virginia's gubernatorial race......

University of Mary Washington political scientist Stephen Farnsworth said it's not the activists on the left or right who are likely to have their votes influenced by a shutdown.

"The moderate voters are really offended by government misconduct on this scale," Farnsworth said Monday. "Polls show the Republicans are more likely to be blamed than the Democrats on this and this will not help the Cuccinelli campaign."

"The Cuccinelli campaign has suffered for months because of the actions of other Republicans," he said, referencing Gov. Bob McDonnell's gift scandal.

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