Kenneth Thomas "Ken" Cuccinelli II ( ; born July 30, 1968) is an American politician who served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2010 until 2014. Cuccinelli was the Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia in the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial election. He was elected as Virginia's 46th Attorney General in the November 2009 general election. From 2002 until January 16, 2010 he was a Republican member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 37th district in Fairfax County. He holds degrees in engineering, law and commercial policy, and co-founded a law firm.