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Ken Cuccinelli
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Ken Cuccinelli
Kenneth Thomas "Cooch" Cuccinelli II (/ˌkuːtʃɪˈnɛli/ KOO-chin-EL-ee; born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the senior official performing the duties of deputy secretary of homeland security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the principal deputy and acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and was attorney general of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.
Cuccinelli previously served in the Virginia Senate, representing the 37th district in Fairfax County from 2002 until 2010, and as the 46th attorney general of Virginia from 2010 until 2014. Cuccinelli was the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial election, losing to the Democratic nominee, Terry McAuliffe.
A self-described opponent of homosexuality, Cuccinelli in his position as Virginia attorney general defended anti-sodomy laws and prohibitions on same-sex marriage. Cuccinelli rejects the scientific consensus on climate change, and in his position as attorney general investigated climate scientists whom he accused of fraud. Characterized as an immigration hard-liner, Cuccinelli sought to prohibit undocumented immigrants from attending universities, repeal birthright citizenship, and force employees to speak English in the workplace.
His appointment as acting USCIS director during Donald Trump's first administration was ruled unlawful by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in March 2020, who found it to be in violation of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. Later that year, the Government Accountability Office found that his appointment as the acting deputy secretary to have been illegal as well.
Cuccinelli was born in Edison, New Jersey, the son of Maribeth (née Reilly) and Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli. His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of Irish ancestry. He attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he graduated in 1986, and received a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia, a JD from George Mason University School of Law, and an MA in international commerce and policy, also from George Mason University. In 1993 Cuccinelli entered the United States Marine Corps, but was discharged after failing to complete his initial training and did only one week on active duty.
Cuccinelli co-founded a general practice law firm in Fairfax, Virginia.
Cuccinelli ran for the state Senate in the 37th District in an August 2002 special election. He defeated Democrat Catherine Belter 55%–45%. In 2003, he was re-elected to his first full term, defeating Democrat Jim E. Mitchell III 53% to 47%. In 2007, he barely won re-election to his second full term, narrowly defeating Democrat Janet Oleszek by a 0.3-point margin, a difference of just 92 votes out of about 37,000 votes cast.
In 2009, Cuccinelli was selected as the Republican nominee for attorney general, going on to win 58% of the vote (1,123,816 votes). Republican Bob McDonnell became governor, and Bill Bolling was re-elected as lieutenant governor. Cuccinelli was inaugurated on January 16, 2010.
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Ken Cuccinelli
Kenneth Thomas "Cooch" Cuccinelli II (/ˌkuːtʃɪˈnɛli/ KOO-chin-EL-ee; born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the senior official performing the duties of deputy secretary of homeland security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the principal deputy and acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and was attorney general of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.
Cuccinelli previously served in the Virginia Senate, representing the 37th district in Fairfax County from 2002 until 2010, and as the 46th attorney general of Virginia from 2010 until 2014. Cuccinelli was the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial election, losing to the Democratic nominee, Terry McAuliffe.
A self-described opponent of homosexuality, Cuccinelli in his position as Virginia attorney general defended anti-sodomy laws and prohibitions on same-sex marriage. Cuccinelli rejects the scientific consensus on climate change, and in his position as attorney general investigated climate scientists whom he accused of fraud. Characterized as an immigration hard-liner, Cuccinelli sought to prohibit undocumented immigrants from attending universities, repeal birthright citizenship, and force employees to speak English in the workplace.
His appointment as acting USCIS director during Donald Trump's first administration was ruled unlawful by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in March 2020, who found it to be in violation of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. Later that year, the Government Accountability Office found that his appointment as the acting deputy secretary to have been illegal as well.
Cuccinelli was born in Edison, New Jersey, the son of Maribeth (née Reilly) and Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli. His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of Irish ancestry. He attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he graduated in 1986, and received a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia, a JD from George Mason University School of Law, and an MA in international commerce and policy, also from George Mason University. In 1993 Cuccinelli entered the United States Marine Corps, but was discharged after failing to complete his initial training and did only one week on active duty.
Cuccinelli co-founded a general practice law firm in Fairfax, Virginia.
Cuccinelli ran for the state Senate in the 37th District in an August 2002 special election. He defeated Democrat Catherine Belter 55%–45%. In 2003, he was re-elected to his first full term, defeating Democrat Jim E. Mitchell III 53% to 47%. In 2007, he barely won re-election to his second full term, narrowly defeating Democrat Janet Oleszek by a 0.3-point margin, a difference of just 92 votes out of about 37,000 votes cast.
In 2009, Cuccinelli was selected as the Republican nominee for attorney general, going on to win 58% of the vote (1,123,816 votes). Republican Bob McDonnell became governor, and Bill Bolling was re-elected as lieutenant governor. Cuccinelli was inaugurated on January 16, 2010.
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