Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling made his first of what's sure to be many tie breaking votes in the State Senate on Wednesday. With Republicans and Democrats split 20-20, Bolling voted to give organizing authority to Senate Republicans.
In a one-on-one interview, I talked to Bolling about how he'll handle his new power.
Jarett: “When there are ties, do you always plan on voting the Republican way or do you see an issue where you might side with the Democrats?”
Bolling: "Most of the issues that come before the Senate really aren't partisan issues. I look at the issue and try to think of what is the right thing to do and the right approach. That's the way I vote."
With Republicans controlling the Governor's Mansion, the House, and the Senate, a major concern I've heard from Democrats is on strong conservative bills becoming law.
Jarett: ”Are you concerned that some legislation that gets pushed through will be too conservative?”
Bollling: "I don't think you're going to see any pendulum shifts in policy in the Senate of Virginia because of the elections."
Bolling says he plans to use his power to do what's best for the Commonwealth and says he won't be scared of controversy in the process.
"My style is not to tread lightly. I just try to do the right thing for the right reasons. That's always worked out pretty well for me, so I'm going to continue to do that,” said Bolling.
With the 20-20 split, Bolling will have his feet held to the fire throughout the session, in light of a probable gubernatorial run in 2013.
"At the end of the day if it ends up helping a campaign for governor, that's great. And if it ends up determining a campaign for governor, that's just the price of leadership,” said Bolling.
If the fighting continues down party lines, Bolling added that he's prepared to go on the record and held accountable for his deciding votes.
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