Virginia's gubernatorial candidates turned a forum on energy issues into a political brawl, lobbing attacks at each other on everything from social issues to business experience.
Republican state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli blasted Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, for his ties to a controversial electric car company and pointed to his fluctuating stance on oil and coal. McAuliffe portrayed Cuccinelli as a climate change denier who does not care about the environment or economy,
reports Politico.
Cuccinelli pointed to a Securities and Exchange Commission probe into McAuliffe’s electric car company, GreenTech Automotive, which is
being investigated for allegedly making improper promises of guaranteed returns to foreign investors.
He also accused McAuliffe of waging a "war on coal," pointing to his anti-coal comments during the 2009 primary and
waffling on climate change.
McAuliffe, for his part, pointed to Cuccinelli's ties to a company accused of swindling landowners on
natural gas royalty payments and his campaign against climate scientist billionaire Michael Mann, who has come out in support of the Democrat.
Virginia's gubernatorial race has shaped up as the marquee match-up of 2013. A
Quinnipiac poll of likely voters released last week showed that McAuliffe held a 48 to 42 percentage point lead over Cuccinelli, while a new
LCV Victory Fund poll published Thursday showed the Democrat up by 44 to 37 percentage points.
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