It looks like Mike Henry's influence is already being felt, and that is a very good thing. Go git'm Steve!
Delegate Steve Shannon, the Democratic nominee for Virginia Attorney General, sent a letter to his opponent, State Senator Ken Cuccinelli today, asking him not to wait for the upcoming debates to explain why he has voted against tougher drunk driving standards over the past five years:
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Ken,
Thank you for your letter. I’m looking forward to our staffs working together to hammer out a debate schedule and different debate formats that will give the citizens of Virginia an opportunity to compare my record as a criminal prosecutor and crime fighter to your legislative record since 2002.
I’ve instructed my staff to review the current invitations that we have received and we are looking into the debate schedules that campaigns for Attorney General have agreed to in the past. Those debate schedules appeared to give the electorate ample opportunities to learn about the candidates' records.
However, I don’t want to wait until our next debate to ask you to explain why you used such questionable judgment over the last five years in voting against cracking down on drunk drivers. It would also be good for you to tell people in this state why in the 2007 session you chose not to support my bill, HB 3086, which would have fixed Virginia’s law so we wouldn’t face the situation with drunk driving cases arising out of the Melendez-Diaz decision.
When I introduced the bill with one Republican and one Democratic member of our Fairfax County delegation, it would have been helpful for a Republican Senator on the Courts of Justice of Committee like you, to stand up and help us secure passage.
As a former criminal prosecutor, I have seen first hand the damage drunk drivers can inflict on innocent people and their families. I can only think that if you’d had that experience, you might not have taken the positions you did on this issue over the span of five years. Regardless of our eventual debate schedule, it’s important that we not ignore your previous positions against tougher drunk driving penalties.
I look forward to your answers on these important public safety questions.
Sincerely,
Steve Shannon
