I wonder if any Richmonders are familiar with Steve Baril.
Dec 07, 2002
GOP hopefuls lining up
Baril to run for attorney general
BY TYLER WHITLEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Steve Baril, a Richmond lawyer, announced yesterday he will seek the Republican nomination to run for attorney general in 2005.
Baril, 47, is making his debut as a candidate at the Republican Party of Virginia's 19th annual Advance, which got under way yesterday at the Virginia Crossings Resort.
Baril, who is married to Mary Dalton, the daughter of the late Republican Gov. John N. Dalton, said he will run as a conservative who can bring factions of the party together. He is a partner in the Richmond law firm of Williams Mullen, where he specializes in representing businesses.
Baril's mother-in-law, Edwina Dalton Phillips, was a member of the Virginia Senate for four years and an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in 1989. John Dalton was governor from 1978 to 1982.
Although no one else has formally announced a candidacy, two members of the General Assembly, Dels. Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia Beach and Richard H. Black of Loudoun, also are trying to line up support to run for attorney general.
McDonnell, a House Republican whip and the soon-to-be-chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee, is considered the front-runner.
A native of Chesterfield County, Baril is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College. He received his law degree from the University of Richmond.
In politics, Baril has been a finance chairman of the Chesterfield County Republican Committee. He unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination to run for the 65th District House of Delegates seat in 1997.
Baril describes himself as anti-abortion rights, a strong believer in the death penalty and a fiscal conservative who would cut spending to balance the budget.
Like Baril, McDonnell and Black will have a presence at the Advance, which traditionally has served as a showcase for potential candidates. Black, considered the most conservative member of the House of Delegates, was host last night at a party celebrating the defeat of the sales tax referendums in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, the likely GOP candidate for governor, and state Sen. Bill Bolling of Hanover, who is preparing to run for lieutenant governor, will be hosts at suites during the two-day event. Bolling will address a breakfast gathering this morning. Kilgore will introduce the keynote speaker, Sen.-elect Norm Coleman of Minnesota, at lunch today.
U.S. Sen. John W. Warner was guest at a reception yesterday. U.S. Sen. George Allen will host "a football tailgate party" tonight.
The Advance comes after a year of triumph and turmoil for the GOP. While it has prospered at the polls, the party was beset by scandal.
Party Executive Director Edmund A. Matricardi III resigned in April after he was indicted on charges of eavesdropping on two Democratic Party conference calls in March. A federal grand jury continues to investigate the incident.
Then in June, Del. S. Vance Wilkins Jr. of Amherst, the first Republican speaker of the House of Delegates since Reconstruction, resigned under fire after The Washington Post disclosed he had paid $100,000 to a woman who claimed he sexually harassed her.
The new speaker-elect, Del. William J. Howell of Stafford, was to be honored by the GOP leaders at a reception last night.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com
RTD