Bolling sees Republican resurgence in Virginia

STAUNTON — Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling predicts a GOP victory in the November state elections, saying state Republicans will end their slump because they are on the right side of the issues.

“The issues in the election are going our way,” said Bolling, who spoke to area Republicans at Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant on Saturday morning.

He said Republicans would restore fiscal integrity and grow the state’s economy if he and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell win election in November.

Bolling said Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine has accomplished a “dismal record” of fiscal management, consistently missing on revenue targets and using one-time sources to balance the state’s budget.

The lieutenant governor said Kaine has used Virginia’s Rainy Day Fund and federal stimulus money to prop up the budget.

“This is not the way we earned a Triple A bond rating and being the best managed state,” Bolling said. “We must get spending under control and be realistic with revenue projections.”

Growing Virginia’s economy will require cutting taxes and regulations and investing in entrepreneurs. Democrats, Bolling said, believe in “increasing taxes and spending.”

The storm clouds hovering over the Virginia Republican Party this past week have centered on efforts to remove Chairman Jeff Frederick from office.

McDonnell, Virginia’s five Republican congressmen and Republican leaders in the Virginia House and Senate have all called for Frederick to resign.

Frederick’s fate will be determined at an April 4 Republican State Central Committee meeting.

“It’s unfortunate to have this situation with the state party,” Bolling said. “I like Jeff and respect him. Clearly, our candidate for governor and others have lost confidence. I’m trying not to get in the middle. I’m not for or against. I just want to get it over.”

Bolling said that once the chairmanship of the state GOP is resolved, the party needs to not only focus on November but on attracting a base of voters that also includes independents and clear-thinking Democrats.

He said this coalition of voters was the one that vaulted Ronald Reagan to the presidency nearly 30 years ago.

“If Bob and I can win this year, we can get our legs back under us as a party,” Bolling said. “But if we don’t win this year, it might be a decade before a Republican is elected statewide.”

Bolling preached that Republicans need to focus on what unites them, not what divides them.

“We are a big tent party. We don’t walk in monolithic steps. We must learn to respect our differences,” he said.

Bolling was thanked by Del. Chris Saxman for setting aside his political ambitions and supporting McDonnell’s candidacy for governor.

“Thank you for uniting the party and putting your personal interests aside for the interests of the party,” said Saxman, R-Staunton.

Bolling said 2009 was not the right time for him to seek being governor, and said he and McDonnell didn’t want to compete against one another.