WASHINGTON – A top political analyst says don’t look for Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to end up on the 2016 Republican presidential ticket.
“You can scratch potential presidential candidate right off the list. Bob McDonnell is not going to be running for president, at least not seriously,” Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told WTOP Tuesday.
“And I don’t think he’ll be seriously considered for vice president either.”
Sabato said it’s not the most recent “embarrassing disclosures” that McDonnell billed taxpayers for a digestive system cleanse and deodorant that will keep McDonnell from the ticket. It’s the FBI investigation that will keep him from running for the top spot.
Sabato said he expects the next Virginia governor, whether he’s Democrat Terry McAuliffe or Republican Ken Cuccinelli, won’t follow in McDonnell’s footsteps when it comes to expenditures, knowing that everything from deodorant to dry-cleaning will be scrutinized.
“They’re going to be much more careful about mansion expenditures,” he said.
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