Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling clearly staked his turf, during an appearance at Girls State, as the Republican candidate for governor who can both win a statewide election and govern without partisan division.

Contrasting himself, it clearly seemed, with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

The trouble for Mr. Bolling is that the GOP has done a quick switch from statewide primary to a convention, and the latter always favors the nomination of a party ideologue.

“Everything in government is about these rigid ideologies or it's about hyper-partisan politics. Everything seems to be about conflict, confrontation, or controversy. That's not where most people live,” the lieutenant governor told Girls State attendees at Longwood University.

“You cannot govern effectively from the extremes. Most people just live in the middle some place. Most people aren't Republicans or Democrats,” he said. “They don't consider themselves liberals or conservatives and, frankly, they don't give a rip about partisan labels or philosophical labels.”

Unfortunately for Mr. Bolling, and the Commonwealth, the majority of delegates deciding who runs in November for the Republican Party do care very much about rigid ideology and party orthodoxy. They will make the decision, not the voting public.

Mr. Bolling would have a better chance of being elected governor than he does of winning his own party's nomination.

The misfortune is shared by most Virginians. We all deserve two candidates, a Republican and a Democrat, able to represent Virginia, not simply one political party and its partisans.

-JKW-