Republican Del. Rob Bell of Albemarle County has said he’ll look to be his party’s next nominee for Virginia attorney general.
“I will be seeking the Republican nomination and will be making an official announcement in the near future,” Bell told The Daily Progress on Friday.
The word from Bell, 44, comes in the wake of current Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s confirmation Thursday that he’ll seek the party’s nomination for governor in 2013.
Bell is a former prosecutor and 10-year veteran of the General Assembly. He faced no challenger for his 58th District in last month’s election. The district includes northern and eastern Albemarle County, as well as Greene County, much of Fluvanna County and part of Rockingham County.
Bell declined to comment further on his run.
Also on Friday, state Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, all but announced that he too will seek the party’s nod.
“For the past year, my wife Suzanne and I have been traveling the commonwealth exploring support for a statewide bid, and I have been encouraged by the response we have received,” Obenshain wrote in an email to supporters.
“As the 2013 picture begins to come into focus, I will be exploring a bid for attorney general more actively, and I welcome your input in this process.”
A “Mark Obenshain for Attorney General” website is already up, but it reiterates that Obenshain is exploring, not making, a bid for the office at this point.
Obenshain, 49, is the son of former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Richard Obenshain, who died in 1978 in a small-plane crash while campaigning for the U.S. Senate.
A lawyer by trade, he has served in the Virginia Senate since 2004 and is a friend of Cuccinelli, who also served in the Senate prior to winning election to attorney general in 2009.
Obenshain called Cuccinelli “a principled and effective attorney general” who has earned the admiration of friends and foes alike.
“Virginia will need continued conservative leadership in that office,” said Obenshain, reiterating his commitment to “limited government, low taxes and individual liberty.”
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