Cuccinelli headlines fundraiser for NoVa congressional candidate

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) will headline a fundraiser Monday evening for Patrick Murray, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D) in Virginia's 8th Congressional District.

Murray spokesman Michael Lane said 150 people have said they will attend the reception, which will be held at a private home in Alexandria and is expected to raise about $15,000 for Murray's campaign.

The controversial and conservative attorney general could be considered an odd choice for a Republican candidate running against a 10-term incumbent in what is widely considered Virginia's most liberal district.

But Lane praised Cuccinelli as a good fundraiser for Republican candidates. He added that while Murray believes Cuccinelli is doing a good job as the state's top lawyer, "the fact that he is headlining an event for Patrick Murray doesn't mean that either one of them buy 100 percent into each other's views."

Cuccinelli political director Noah Wall said the attorney general can address some of his office's work that gets less press than his attention-grabbing lawsuits against the federal government, like work to crack down on Medicare fraud. "Stuff like that resonates with people in every congressional district," Wall said.

Wall said Cuccinelli was impressed with Murray's record as a veteran -- Murray is a retired Army colonel.

"It's a tough district but it's a Republican year. If anyone's got a shot, a person with Patrick Murray's record of service to his country is encouraging," Wall said.