The newspaper that Republicans quote time and time and time again  has endorsed the Democratic ticket of Deeds/Wagner/Shannon.

This endorsement of Steve Shannon, just like the other two, is a strong one – no “lesser of two evils” here. Back in 2007, The Washington Post didn’t bother endorsing Ken Cuccunelli’s opponent in his reelection to the State Senate. As close as that race was (Cuccinelli won by only 92 votes!), it could very well have been the difference between victory and defeat.

Mr. Shannon for attorney general
Two Fairfax lawmakers are vying for the job — one wonkish, one worrying.

THE RACE for attorney general in Virginia is a face-off between a pair of youngish lawyers, each from Fairfax County, each elected to the General Assembly this decade, and each now running his first statewide race. The similarities end there. While the Democratic candidate, Del. Stephen C. Shannon, is a mainstream former prosecutor — strait-laced, sober, earnest almost to a fault — his Republican opponent, state Sen. Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, is a provocative hard-liner who at times has struggled vainly to attract a single vote for his more far-fetched initiatives.