Watch Our Endorsement of Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling
CONTACT: Julia Ciarlo Hammond, 804-377-3661, or Todd Pack, 615-872-5897
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 26, 2009 – The National Federation of Independent Business, Virginia’s leading small business association, today endorsed Bob McDonnell for governor and Bill Bolling for lieutenant governor.
McDonnell and Bolling received the grassroots endorsement of small business owners at Bill’s Barbecue, an NFIB member business in Richmond.
“Small business is the heart and soul of Virginia’s economy, and our members appreciate Bob McDonnell’s and Bill Bolling’s commitment to helping Virginia’s entrepreneurs and small, family-run businesses grow and create jobs in this tough economic climate,” said Julia Ciarlo Hammond, state director of NFIB/Virginia.
“Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling believe in creating real and lasting tax relief,” said Rhoda Elliot, owner of Bill’s Barbecue. “They believe in finding ways to reduce lawsuit abuse and eliminate frivolous claims. And they believe in health small business owners and their employees get affordable health insurance.
“We need a governor and lieutenant governor who will not marginalize small business and who will work to make things better for entrepreneurs and small business owners, not worse,” Elliot said. “Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling have promised to address our priorities.”
Small business accounts for 98 percent of all Virginia employers and half of the state’s private-sector jobs, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Virginia’s small business owners are the backbone of our economy,” McDonnell said. “They are on the front lines of the crucial effort to spark an economic resurgence in the Commonwealth, create good paying jobs for our citizens and get our economy back on track. This endorsement is a testament to the positive, ideas-based campaign we are running.
“As governor I will be committed to making Virginia the best state in America in which to open a small business. I will help our small business owners by keeping taxes low, and regulations and litigation at a minimum. I will oppose all policies, state and federal, that make it harder for small business owners to succeed,” he said.
“And I will champion policies that unleash the creative spirit and productive power of the people of Virginia. Working together we are going to spend the next four years helping our small business owners create the jobs and opportunities Virginians need and deserve.
"This election is about jobs and the economy," McDonnell said. "I am honored to receive this endorsement from the job-creating small business owners of Virginia.”
Bolling said, “I am delighted to receive the endorsement of the NFIB. NFIB is the leading voice for business in Virginia, and that is very important to me.
"I have spent my entire professional career in business, and I know firsthand how important it is for us to maintain a pro-business environment in Virginia," he said. “I have worked to do that throughout my 18 years of public service, and I will remain committed to that goal during my second term as Virginia’s lieutenant governor.
“As Virginia’s first jobs creation officer, I will work with Bob McDonnell, the NFIB and other business organizations to get our economy moving again and create the jobs Virginia families need to restore their financial security.”
NFIB’s political support is based on the candidate's position and record on small business issues. The endorsements come from the NFIB/Virginia SAFE (Save America's Free Enterprise) Trust, the political action committee for NFIB/Virginia’s membership.
Today’s endorsements put the considerable grassroots support of the state's small businesses behind McDonnell’s and Bolling’s campaigns. Small business owners and their employees vote in high numbers and are known for actively recruiting friends, family members and acquaintances to go to the polls.
According to NFIB polling data, small business owners and their employees make up about 43 percent of registered voters in America. NFIB will encourage its 5,300 members in Virginia to help turn out the influential small business voting bloc on Election Day.