64% say Va. governor doing good job

Campaigning in 2009 as "Bob's for Jobs," Republican Bob McDonnell won an historic gubernatorial election in Virginia when he pulled two-thirds of the votes to lead a three-way sweep of the top offices.

Since that time he has kept his word, partnering with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to court companies and businesses, bringing 71,000 new jobs to the Commonwealth in the six months since taking office. That is the third highest job creation in the nation.

Fortune 100 company Northrop Grumman's decision to move their corporate headquarters from Los Angeles to Northern Virginia, bringing 300 jobs, came three months into the McDonnell administration.

In addition to new jobs, the Governor worked with the General Assembly to turn around a $2 billion budget deficit left behind by Democratic Governor Tim Kaine into a $220 million surplus at a time when states such as California and New York were on the verge of bankruptcy.

With those and other campaign promises kept, along with steady leadership, Bob McDonnell has maintained the respect and support of Virginians, as reported in Tuesday's Rasmussen poll that gave him a 64% approval rating:

"Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Virginia voters continue to approve of the
job new Governor Bob McDonnell is doing, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state. That includes 29% who Strongly Approve."

With his professional manner and military background, Bob McDonnell may be a rising star on the national scene, often used as an example of conservative leadership.

No where was that more evident than Tuesday in D.C. where he rallied U.S. House Republicans in preparation of the November 2010 elections. As reported in Politico:

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell rallied House Republicans for the midterm campaign in a meeting at the Capitol Hill Club Tuesday, likening his 2009 election as governor to the 1993 GOP wins in Virginia and New Jersey that presaged the 1994 GOP wave election.

“You’re 98 days away from the election … This is an historic opportunity for America,” McDonnell told lawmakers, according to a Republican in the room. “I’m really excited about what’s going to happen this year.”
...
“The election is always about independent voters. What they care about is jobs, taxes, spending and federal intrusion,” he said.

In January the newly elected governor was chosen to respond on national television to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

With continued high approval ratings, look for Bob McDonnell to continue to be a driving force with Republicans.

Cross-posted at The Washington Examiner