A Record of Experience and Leadership

Dear Delegate,   Once again, I want to thank you for filing to serve as a Delegate at the upcoming Republican Convention on May 18th where we will nominate our candidates for Lt. Governor and Attorney General.   I have had a remarkable seven and one half months traveling over 37,000 miles throughout Virginia listening to and learning from citizens in every corner of our Commonwealth.   With seven candidates for Lt. Governor, I am often asked what distinguishes me from the others who are running and I'd like to share that answer with you.   The Lt. Governor has two "duties" as provided in the Virginia statute:  to preside over the State Senate and to stand ready to serve as Governor, should the Governor be unable to fulfill his responsibilities.  Both of these duties are serious tasks that require an individual who is fully prepared to serve.    I believe that it is my depth and range of experience in the State House, State Senate and the Governor's Cabinet, directing the Washington D.C. office, which makes me the best prepared to take on the role of Lt. Governor.     In 1997 I was elected to the House of Delegates, representing a Democrat leaning District.  I was elected by my peers to serve as my Freshman Class President and in my third term was elected to serve as the House Majority Whip.  I am the only woman in the history of the General Assembly to be elected into a top leadership position!   In 2003, I was elected to serve in the State Senate where I was the only Republican and pro-life woman and chaired the Rules Subcommittee on Studies.  During my tenure in the Senate and the two years following, I worked in the private sector as a partner in a small technology consulting firm.   In 2009, I was asked to serve in the Governor's Cabinet as the Director of the Virginia Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, in Washington, D.C. where I was responsible for working with our Congressional Delegation and the other Governor's offices on watching over Federal legislation and regulations that directly impacted states.   As a result of this service, I am the only candidate for Lt. Governor who has Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, Federal government and private sector experience.  I know how the Governor's office functions, the responsibilities of each executive department and agency and, even more importantly, how the policies of the Federal government impact each of those departments and agencies as I represented each and every one of them for three years while leading the Washington Office.   This experience will allow me to be a great partner for Governor Cuccinelli and to assist him from day one in any area that he requests. This is a very serious time in our country's history and it is imperative that just as we will have an experienced leader as our next Governor and Attorney General, that we have an experienced leader as our next Lt. Governor.  Having worked with Ken and our two Attorney General candidates while serving in the State Senate, we will be a team that is Ready to Lead from Day One!   It has been a great privilege for me to serve Virginians in the General Assembly and in Washington and I would be honored to serve as your next Lt. Governor.   I look forward to seeing you at the Convention on May 18th and will continue to work to have your support!   Ready to Lead,   Jeannemarie