Is AG a Launching Pad for Governor?

Tuesday, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced that he will resign his post on Feb. 20 to run for governor full time. There is nothing out of the ordinary about his decision. The past two attorneys general have done the same thing: Mark Earley in 2001 and Jerry Kilgore in 2005.

Kilgore quit a couple of weeks earlier than McDonnell will, but Earley waited until he had won the Republican nomination. That was early June.

Quitting will allow McDonnell to focus all his energy on the campaign. He’ll be able to raise money (something he can’t do while the General Assembly is in session), campaign without worrying about any conflicts of interest, and solidify his Republican base. But will any of that make a difference? The history shows a spotty record.

Of the recent Virginia Attorneys General who resigned their post to run for governor, only one was successful: Republican Jim Gilmore.

But a better question could be this: is attorney general a launching pad for governor? On this point the answer is likely no as well. Again, it worked for Jim Gilmore and it also worked for Democrat Gerald Baliles. However, since 1934 only four attorneys general have been elected governor. That’s not necessarily a strong track record.

UPDATE: I’ve done a little more research (aided by a reader who emailed me), and I should point out that attorneys general from both parties have resigned to run from governor. In addition to Republicans McDonnell, Gilmore, Earley, and Kilgore, Democrats Mary Sue Terry, Gerald Baliles, and Andrew Miller all resigned from the AG post to pursue gubernatorial bids. We should also point out that only Baliles and Gilmore were successful in winning the governor’s mansion. Also, according to the http://www.ourcampaigns.com website, Miller was defeated in the 1977 Democratic gubernatorial primary.