Candidate Profile: Bob McDonnell

He appears to be straight out of central casting. There’s his resume including businessman, 20 years in the military, delegate, and Virginia Attorney General.

And there’s his postcard ready family. And don’t forget his smooth speaking style always ready with a sound bite.

Even his appearance fits the bill right down to the politician’s hair. There’s never a hair out of place.

Republican Bob McDonnell seems tailor made for politics. But does he ever relax?

I put that question to those who know him best: his kids.

WARREN: “When we see [your] dad out in public he’s usually wearing a suit, hair’s combed and he’s very official. What’s he like behind the scenes?”

CAILIN McDONNELL: “He's a big dork. He's a big kid a heart.”

BOBBY McDONNELL: “He has to be so proper all day. When he gets home he just doesn't want to deal with. He just lets it all go.”

CAILIN McDONNELL: “Yeah, just hangs out, puts on his Notre Dame sweats.”

We got to see part of that side of Bob McDonnell during the afternoon we spent with his family where four of their five kids still live at home.

When there’s time, throwing the football around, even with mom Maureen, is a common sight.

BOBBY McDONNELL: “We golf, we try do some pick up football games. He usually pulls a hamstring.”

You know kids… they never let their parents get away with anything. Take this: during my one on one interview with McDonnell he told me, “When I actually have free time, I like hiking. I like kayaking.”

But wait. Later it was the kids’ turn as they talked about the family’s summer vacation.

CAILIN McDONNELL: “Dad comes down there and says oh yeah, I'm going to show you guys how to kayak. So he puts it in the water, plops right and tips right over. Everyone else was fine, but he gets soaking wet in 30 degree water.”

McDonnell interjected, “Hey, I made it 5 feet.” And his daughter, Cailin, quickly shot back, “The water was like this shallow and he went right into the rocks.”

One thing is for sure, McDonnell’s campaign isn’t going into the rocks. He’s been riding high in the polls even with the revelation that he wrote a conservative, some would say controversial, graduate thesis at Regent University 20 years ago. In it he preaches how to use the government against homosexuals and how feminism is an enemy of the family.

His political beliefs are something McDonnell is more comfortable avoiding. We have seen this during debates like this exchange I had with him during the final debate of the campaign, sponsored by WSLS.

WARREN: “Is there one instance where abortion should be legal in your view?”

McDONNELL: “Well, I'm going to follow the law, Jay. The law is very clear on when it should be allowed.”

WARREN: “Personally, what do you think on that?”

McDONNELL: “Well, I was raised in a middle class Catholic family in Northern Virginia. My parents taught me about respecting innocent human life, about protecting the family. Those are my personal views.”

We saw the same theme during interviews as well.

WARREN: “How would you describe your politics?”

McDONNELL: “I'm a conservative Republican. But, I'm a common sense, results oriented guy that wants to find practical solutions to the problems people care about.”

No matter the setting, those are the notes McDonnell has hit throughout the campaign. He preaches jobs, bi-partisanship, roads, and no new taxes. He has approached this campaign with military precision and you get the sense that a McDonnell Administration will be much the same.

“You learn ultimately in the military about the importance of a chain of command. About the importance of a mission and getting results,” he said. “You don't make excuses in the military. You either get the mission accomplished or you don't and I think that's what people expect in a chief executive for the state... results and not excuses. I feel like this is what I have prepared to do for a long time in my life through all of the other things in the military and public sector and government have prepared me very well.”