6. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell

71st Governor of Virginia

Bob McDonnell, Virginia's photogenic new governor, won election last year by recasting himself as a moderate conservative with big ideas. But so far his economically singed tenure has been bumpy. He's been upstaged by Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli's (No. 39) hard-right legal actions. He goofed up by forgetting about slavery during Confederate History Month and his grand offshore oil plans tanked with the BP disaster. Pet projects such as privatizing ABC stores and streamlining government are short on details. Worse, if the jobs governor fails to produce jobs in the next two years he'll join Jim Gilmore and George Allen among the GOP's unemployed.

Next: 7. Mayor Dwight C. Jones –>

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