Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and State Sen. Mark Herring, candidate for attorney general of Virginia visited the McLean Metrorail Station, a new stop on the Silver Line on Tuesday. During the visit, McAuliffe and Herring highlighted the importance of supporting transportation projects in Virginia that create jobs in the Commonwealth and ensure the state remains competitive in the 21st Century.
McAuliffe and Herring both praised the Silver Line project as a vital investment that will strengthen Virginia’s economy. “This kind of project that encourages economic development and responsible growth is exactly what we need to be focused on as we work to improve our transportation system,” McAuliffe stated.
McAuliffe also criticized GOP candidate Ken Cuccinelli for being “the only statewide elected official in more than a decade to oppose the Dulles Metrorail project” and said that his opponent “wanted to stop the Silver Line even after work had already begun.” “That would have benefited no one,” he added.
Dating back to early in his political career, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has on multiple occasions voiced his opposition to the Silver Line, stating that he “opposed this project entirely” and later called it the “biggest waste of money in the History of Virginia.” His stance on the Silver Line project caused the Washington Post Editorial Board to question his motivations for doing so, commenting, “If Mr. Cuccinelli is remotely interested in sustaining and expanding Northern Virginia’s commercial vitality and promoting job growth, killing off the Silver Line is hardly the way to do it.”
McAuliffe and Herring also criticized Ken Cuccinelli and GOP candidate for Attorney General Mark Obenshain for opposing Governor McDonnell’s bipartisan transportation compromise which passed earlier this year. “On the most important issue for Virginia’s competitiveness, Ken Cuccinelli was a leader in the effort to defeat Governor McDonnell’s signature accomplishment,” stated McAuliffe.
Herring added that Virginians “can’t afford to have leaders who would rather see political gridlock than mainstream, bipartisan solutions to the challenges [Virginia’s] economy faces.”
McAuliffe stressed the need to work in a bipartisan manner to guarantee a modern, efficient transportation system in Virginia in order to create a solid foundation for economic growth in the 21st Century. McAuliffe also pushed for passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act during the visit, which would require Internet retailers to pay the same taxes as Main Street businesses as a means to raise vital revenue which would support investments like these as well as protect Virginia’s local business sector.
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