Three former Republican state legislators endorse former DNC head McAuliffe
March 13, 2013 / Associated Press
Three former Republican state legislators who’ve had past differences with the GOP have endorsed former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe for governor.
McAuliffe’s campaign on Wednesday announced endorsements of retired Dels. Jim Dillard and Vince Callahan of Fairfax County and Katherine Waddell of Richmond and Vince Callahan of McLean in McAuliffe’s race against conservative Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
Dillard and Waddell — who later became an independent — were well known for their differences with the conservative wing of the GOP in their days in the House of Delegates.
Callahan had headed the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee. He incurred the GOP right’s ire in 2004 when he was among 17 Republicans who sided with minority House Democrats to pass a budget-balancing tax increase after a 115-day legislative standoff.