Where Virginia Governor Candidates Stand on Government Shutdown

By Todd Richissin

With the prospect of tens of thousands of Virginians being furloughed and the U.S. government defaulting on its debts, the looming federal shutdown has spilled into the Virginia governor's race.

Here's a rundown on where Republican Ken Cuccinelli II and Democrat Terry McAuliffe stand.

Cuccinelli: In a televised debate last week, Cuccinelli was asked about the tactics of Ted Cruz, who has led the charge to get Obamacare defunded, even if it means shutting down the government. As WJAL reported, Cuccinelli "more or less skirted the question."

“I’d like to see Obamacare pulled out of federal law,” he said at the debate, “but we’ve got to keep moving forward.”

As the first attorney general in the United States to file suit against Obamacare — minutes after it was signed into law — Cuccinelli became a hero to the Tea Party wing of the Republican party leading the fight.

Cruz, whose 21-hour-plus "filibuster" on the Senate floor last week included a reading of Dr. Seuss and a Darth Vader imitation, is scheduled to be on the campaign trail with Cuccinelli next weekend.

McAuliffe: In last week's debate, McAuliffe said, “I think it’s disgraceful what’s going on in Washington. . . Shame on everybody.”

Cuccinelli pointed to McAuliffe’s pledge that he would not sign a budget unless it included expanding Medicaid under Obamacare. “This is a Washington tactic,” Cuccinelli said. “And if you like the way Washington works, you will like a Governor McAuliffe.”

Cuccinelli released a video saying McAuliffe would shutdown the Virginia government. 

Last week, McAuliffe spokesman Josh Schwerin issued this statement:

“While Ted Cruz is doubling down on his efforts to hold the federal budget hostage in order to drive an extreme Tea Party agenda, Ken Cuccinelli still refuses to condemn Cruz for jeopardizing the health of Virginia’s economy and military community. A government shutdown would stifle Virginia’s economic growth and undermine our military’s ability to keep our nation safe. Virginians deserve real answers as to why Ken Cuccinelli would rather satisfy an extreme Tea Party ideology than do what’s best for our Commonwealth.”