Rely on Cuccinelli for law and order

On Nov. 3, we Virginians will go to the polls to cast our votes for important state and local offices. Ken Cuccinelli, candidate for attorney general, has a strong record of working for public safety and of defending our constitutional rights.
In the state Senate, Cuccinelli co-sponsored successful legislation that added penalties for hazing of gang members. This legislation aids law enforcement efforts to deter gang recruitment. He also co-sponsored other legislation that cracked down on gang violence.
Sen. Cuccinelli was a leader in the passage of toughened laws to keep violent sexual offenders off our streets.
He has successfully sponsored legislation to combat identity theft, illegal drugs and human trafficking.
Sen. Cuccinelli helped override Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s vetoes of several death penalty bills, thereby ensuring that those who murder judges and trial witnesses are immediately eligible for the death penalty.
Sen. Cuccinelli’s proven record in promoting public safety has earned strong support for his candidacy from the Virginia Law Enforcement Community. Seventy-seven elected sheriffs and the Fraternal Order of Police, the commonwealth’s largest law enforcement group, have endorsed Ken Cuccinelli for attorney general. As FOP President Tommy Edwards noted in his endorsement, Sen. Cuccinelli’s early and insightful recognition of the problems created by the Supreme Court ruling in the Melendez-Diaz case, his push for a special session of the legislature to address this issue and his work to revise Virginia statutes will save many legitimate cases from being thrown out because of non-compliance with the ruling.
Ken Cuccinelli will continue his efforts to defend our constitutional rights. After a three-year fight, in 2007 his eminent domain reform legislation was passed, strengthening private property rights. He will continue to work for a Virginia constitutional amendment to permanently secure these protections.
He will also resist federal encroachments on state sovereignty, such as ending Virginia right-to-work laws, defending state rights guaranteed by the 10th Amendment. Cuccinelli will defend our Second Amendment rights, the individual right of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms for any lawful reason.
As attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli will make public safety his top priority. He will continue to defend the rights of individuals and state sovereignty rights as guaranteed by our Constitution.

Philomena R. Dunkl
Albemarle County