The candidates for Attorney General took part in a debate (the last in a series of four during this campaign) in Richmond last Thursday. In one exchange, Democrat Steve Shannon accused Republican Ken Cuccinelli of being "an ideological crusader" who favors states' rights, which he then linked to some of Virginia's bleakest history, such as secession and the fight to maintain segregation. Shannon said afterward that he does not think Cuccinelli is a racist. But Cuccinelli, a state senator from Fairfax County, called Shannon "a race-baiter."

Shannon said that on weekends Cuccinelli goes to rallies and "talks about being the states'-rights attorney general" and wears a "Don't tread on me" lapel pin. "It's not race-baiting to acknowledge that we have a history, an unfortunate part of our history, that focuses on states' rights," Shannon said.

Cuccinelli said Shannon crossed the line. "That is truly desperate, and it is over the line, and it isn't substantive. He wasn't talking about the issues that bring the question of federal-state relations up today, like right-to-work."

Maintenance of Virginia's highly controversial "right to work" provision has been a cornerstone of the Cuccinelli campaign. It prohibits union membership being taken as a requirement in employment, which effectively reduces the collective power of workers.

(Dave Sagarin, October 26, 2009)