By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
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In his debut as the all-but-official Republican nominee for governor, Attorney General Bob McDonnell didn't use one of his lines: no new taxes.
"I don't have a particular plan or vision," said McDonnell when queried yesterday in a conference call with reporters on how he would fix the 2007 transportation plan gutted last month by the Virginia Supreme Court.
McDonnell, who as the state's top lawyer defended the package against a legal challenge initiated by a fellow Republican, Del. Robert G. Marshall of Prince William, said it is up to the General Assembly to repair the plan.
McDonnell was asked whether legislators should resist raising taxes to make up for nearly $600 million erased from the initiative by the Supreme Court ruling and repeal of the controversial driver fees.
Without citing his anti-tax credentials, McDonnell said, "The General Assembly is going to have to make the decision in a special session. Republicans and Democrats and the governor all understand the importance of transportation . . . for economic growth."
McDonnell, assured the Republican gubernatorial nomination next year with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling's announcement Monday to stand for re-election, added, "Do I have my own transportation plan right now? No, I don't."
Later, in a separate telephone call, McDonnell spokesman J. Tucker Martin Jr. emphasized his boss' opposition to higher taxes. Senate Democrats are pushing for an increase in the fuel tax to raise about $200 million for roads and rails.
The state Supreme Court threw out as illegal a provision of the transportation plan -- modified by Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine with the consent the then-GOP controlled legislature -- that would allow an unelected regional authority in Northern Virginia to impose taxes to finance bonds for highways and mass transit.
"I was not consulted on those amendments," McDonnell said of the governor's revisions.
Kaine spokesman Gordon Hickey has said the attorney general was told of the changes.
Looking to the 2009 campaign, McDonnell said he believed the Republican Party can recapture the governorship after eight years by positioning itself as "results-oriented, can-do."
Acknowledging the Democratic ascendancy that started with the election in 2001 of Gov. Mark R. Warner, McDonnell said Virginia remains competitive between the two major political parties but is "still a right-of-center state."
Asked if he would continue a Virginia tradition and resign as attorney general once assured the gubernatorial nomination, McDonnell replied, "I haven't crossed that bridge yet." He later hinted he would probably relinquish the office.
McDonnell said Republicans have an edge by having locked down two-thirds of their statewide ticket while Democrats face a potentially fractious two-way fight for their gubernatorial nomination.
Further, few Democratic prospects have emerged for lieutenant governor and attorney general. At least four Republicans are mentioned for attorney general, though McDonnell says he is neutral for that nomination.
While Democrats clash, "we're going to be unifying Republicans, independents and clear-thinking Democrats," McDonnell said.
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com.
"I don't have a particular plan or vision," said McDonnell when queried yesterday in a conference call with reporters on how he would fix the 2007 transportation plan gutted last month by the Virginia Supreme Court.
McDonnell, who as the state's top lawyer defended the package against a legal challenge initiated by a fellow Republican, Del. Robert G. Marshall of Prince William, said it is up to the General Assembly to repair the plan.
McDonnell was asked whether legislators should resist raising taxes to make up for nearly $600 million erased from the initiative by the Supreme Court ruling and repeal of the controversial driver fees.
Without citing his anti-tax credentials, McDonnell said, "The General Assembly is going to have to make the decision in a special session. Republicans and Democrats and the governor all understand the importance of transportation . . . for economic growth."
McDonnell, assured the Republican gubernatorial nomination next year with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling's announcement Monday to stand for re-election, added, "Do I have my own transportation plan right now? No, I don't."
Later, in a separate telephone call, McDonnell spokesman J. Tucker Martin Jr. emphasized his boss' opposition to higher taxes. Senate Democrats are pushing for an increase in the fuel tax to raise about $200 million for roads and rails.
The state Supreme Court threw out as illegal a provision of the transportation plan -- modified by Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine with the consent the then-GOP controlled legislature -- that would allow an unelected regional authority in Northern Virginia to impose taxes to finance bonds for highways and mass transit.
"I was not consulted on those amendments," McDonnell said of the governor's revisions.
Kaine spokesman Gordon Hickey has said the attorney general was told of the changes.
Looking to the 2009 campaign, McDonnell said he believed the Republican Party can recapture the governorship after eight years by positioning itself as "results-oriented, can-do."
Acknowledging the Democratic ascendancy that started with the election in 2001 of Gov. Mark R. Warner, McDonnell said Virginia remains competitive between the two major political parties but is "still a right-of-center state."
Asked if he would continue a Virginia tradition and resign as attorney general once assured the gubernatorial nomination, McDonnell replied, "I haven't crossed that bridge yet." He later hinted he would probably relinquish the office.
McDonnell said Republicans have an edge by having locked down two-thirds of their statewide ticket while Democrats face a potentially fractious two-way fight for their gubernatorial nomination.
Further, few Democratic prospects have emerged for lieutenant governor and attorney general. At least four Republicans are mentioned for attorney general, though McDonnell says he is neutral for that nomination.
While Democrats clash, "we're going to be unifying Republicans, independents and clear-thinking Democrats," McDonnell said.
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com.