Will He or Won't He?

As pundits await the announcement later this week by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling on whether he will run for Governor as and independent, the Richmond Times Dispatch has this article that once again points out that for all his criticism of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli being too extreme to be elected, Bolling has a voting record very similar to Cuccinelli. 

For all his recent moves to the middle on Medicaid and transportation, Bolling’s record is closer to Cuccinelli’s than it is to Democrats’ — a point Bolling and Cuccinelli had highlighted before their intra-party parting.

Bolling stood with Senate Republicans in 2011 when they pushed through legislation that ignited debate over proposed regulations to compel abortion clinics to conform to standards for new hospital construction.

More recently, he cast the tie breaking vote to pass a bill that would require all registered voters to present photo identification at the polls.

On issue after issue, including the Second Amendment, Bolling has voted the same way as Cuccinelli as a state senator more times than not.  Casting tie-breaking votes as Lt. Governor, Bolling has voted conservative right down the line.  And even "establishment" GOP officials are asking Bolling to set his personal ambitions aside for the greater good of the Commonwealth.  This from a letter to Bolling from Henrico State Senator Walter A. Stosch:

“The stakes are too great for us to create additional divisions among Republicans at a time when the real threat to the great progress made during your tenure is the possible election of an untested and unknown Democrat candidate,” said Stosch, referring to McAuliffe, the McLean-based, self-made millionaire businessman and former Democratic National Committee chairman who has never held public office.

So, by the end of this week we will know whether we will have a two-way race for Governor, or a three way race where the third candidate will more likely play spoiler than have a real shot at winning.