Foster
Bell
ARLINGTON, Va. (Legal Newsline) - A state school board member and Washington lawyer is reportedly considering a run for the job of Virginia attorney general.
David M. Foster, a partner at Washington law firm Fulbright and Jaworski LLP, told the Sun Gazette he will decide soon if he is going to run for the position.
Current Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced earlier this month that he would run for governor in 2013.
At least two others have said they are interested in Cuccinelli's job, including Republican state Delegate Robert B. Bell and Republican state Sen. Mark Obenshain.
Bell, who officially announced his candidacy last week, is a former state prosecutor who represents Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Rockingham counties.
Obenshain, who says he is still considering a run, was elected to the Senate in 2003. He represents the 26th District, which includes the city of Harrisonburg and the counties of Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Rappahannock and part of Rockingham County.
Foster, a graduate of University of Virginia, served as a member of the Arlington County school board from 2000 to 2008 and was appointed by Gov. Bob McDonnell to the state Board of Education in 2010. He currently serves as its vice president.
This wouldn't be his first time seeking the office. In 2009, he sought the GOP nomination, but lost to the now-attorney general.
Foster told the Arlington newspaper he has been encouraged to run again.
"I appreciate the support and confidence reflected in that encouragement," he said. "My family and I will give the possibility careful consideration over the holidays, and make a decision early in the new year."
Meanwhile, Bell is already campaigning.
In a guest column to The Daily Progress over the weekend, he says he would bring "useful, real world experience to the job."
A conservative leader in the House, Bell says he is against higher taxes and the expansion of government.
"I believe my experience as a prosecutor and a conservative lawmaker has given me the background to serve as Virginia's next attorney general," he wrote.
Bell says he also would carry on Cuccinelli's battle to "rein in unconstitutional overreach" by the federal government, and fight to eliminate "unnecessary and burdensome" regulations on businesses.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.