Cuccinelli only Republican to file for governor in Virginia

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) is the only Republican who filed to run for the Virginia governor's race as of the state GOP's Monday evening deadline, making him the party's de facto nominee for the race.

Cuccinelli, a Tea Party favorite and vocal social conservative best known for challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's healthcare law, has been the odds-on favorite for the nomination since Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) said he would not run as a Republican. With the filing deadline for the Republican nomination in the past, he's now guaranteed the nomination.

Cuccinelli is all but guaranteed to face former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe in the 2013 election, and early polls show a close race, though McAuliffe has led in most. Bolling is still mulling a run as an Independent.