Leesburg Democrat Mark Herring announced today that he will run for the 2013 Democratic Party nomination for attorney general.
Elected to the State Senate in 2006, Herring had previously served a four-year term on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and is the principal of the law firm Herring & Turner P.C.
Herring said in his announcement that it is “time to get politics out of the Attorney General’s office and return its focus to doing what’s right for the people of Virginia,” a pointed reference to the controversial term of Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican who has used the office to wage political fights against, among other things, federal health-care reform and climate-change research.
“Over the last three years, we’ve watched Attorney General Cuccinelli pursue an ideological crusade that is out of step with the mainstream. Time after time, the Attorney General has abused the powers of his office and twisted the law to advance his personal political agenda, which has been costly to taxpayers and costly to the credibility of the office. It’s hurt Virginians and damaged our state’s reputation,” Herring said.
“Virginia cannot afford another Attorney General like Ken Cuccinelli. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what those on the Republican side jockeying to take his place are offering. But what Virginians are looking for is an Attorney General who will restore the people’s trust in the office,” Herring said.
A pair of social conservatives, Harrisonburg State Sen. Mark Obenshain and Charlottesville State Del. Rob Bell, have announced their intentions to run for the Republican nomination for attorney general.