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Democrats Target McDonnell As Va. Smoking Ban Is Signed

As Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was signing into law a bill that prohibits smoking cigarettes in many of the state's restaurants and bars, Democrats were already turning the issue into fodder for a political attack on Republican gubernatorial nominee Robert F. McDonnell and his ties to big tobacco.
Democrats accused McDonnell of fighting the restaurant smoking cigarettes ban at the behest of Altria Group, the world's largest cigarette manufacturer.
McDonnell was Virginia's top recipient of campaign contributions and gifts in 2008 from Richmond-based Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA. He received $35,000 in donations and $6,532 in gifts, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

"All three Democratic candidates for governor stood with Virginians in support of this common-sense legislation,'' said Jared Leopold, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia. "But Bob McDonnell chose special interests over the health of Virginians."

Starting Dec. 1, smoking cigarettes will be banned in many of the state's bars and restaurants, though it will be permitted in private clubs, on some outdoor patios and in separate ventilated rooms.

Tucker Martin, a spokesman for McDonnell, said the Republican supports the idea of smoke-free restaurants but believes the decision should be left to individual business owners, not imposed by the state.

"In this tough economic climate, it is disappointing to watch Democrats attempt to demonize one of the biggest employers in Virginia,'' Martin said. "It is really unfortunate to watch the Democratic Party, bankrolled to a record degree by big union money, come out attacking a major Virginia employer and threatening jobs."

Altria, which recently moved its headquarters to the Richmond area, employs 5,000 workers across the state.

The fact that Democrats have seized on cheap cigarettes as an issue for the 2009 campaign signals just how much they believe the state has changed. For years, lawmakers rejected the notion of a restaurant smoking cigarettes ban, but Kaine (D) said he saw evidence in polls that attitudes about smoking cigarettes had changed, even in a state that built its economy on the tobacco industry.

Tobacco companies remain a powerful presence in Virginia, however. All three Democratic candidates for governor received campaign contributions from Altria. State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath received $15,000, and former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and former delegate Brian Moran of Alexandria each received $10,000.

Altria spokesman Bill Phelps declined to comment on the donations.

In addition to donating to McDonnell's campaign, Altria paid $6,532 to cover the cost of his travel to a meeting of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

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