Cuccinelli, McAuliffe spar at gubernatorial debate "Instead of putting Virginians first, you put Terry first, a common theme for you," Cuccinelli said. And McAuliffe dubbed Cuccinelli the "true Trojan Horse of Virginia politics. You come in pretending to be one thing, and you end up being something else. The debate comes as the contest enters a crucial stage. Many Virginians still know little about either candidate, and both campaigns are preparing for the brighter glare that will come from formal debates and a gradual increase in television advertising. The national spotlight has also shifted increasingly to the commonwealth, both because of the high-profile gifts scandal that has engulfed Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) and because - with New Jersey's gubernatorial race unlikely to be competitive - Virginia is the only political game in town. Although McAuliffe and Cuccinelli have stark differences on policy, much of the debate focused on the personal - a preview of the largely negative, character-focused battle the two men will continue through November. Cuccinelli has been dogged by his ties to Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the Star Scientific chief executive whose gifts to McDonnell and his wife, Maureen McDonnell, are being investigated. Republicans, in turn, have painted McAuliffe as a professional fundraiser with a history of questionable or unsuccessful businesses and scant knowledge of how Virginia government works. Cuccinelli has been especially critical of GreenTech, the electric car company that McAuliffe co-founded that chose to put a factory in Mississippi rather than Virginia. McAuliffe said Cuccinelli had spent four years pursuing a "social, ideological agenda," and that the Republican had broken past campaign promises to focus on economic issues. McAuliffe also reiterated his argument that conservative policies on issues like women's health and gay rights would drive businesses from the state. "In order to grow the economy, we've got make Virginia an open and welcoming state," McAuliffe said. Cuccinelli fired back that "the only candidate in this race who has chased business out of Virginia is Terry," citing the GreenTech plant in Mississippi. Later in the debate, McAuliffe said he "would love to have put a plant in Virginia" but that companies have a "fiduciary" duty to investors. "Okay, you picked Mississippi, so run for governor of Mississippi," Cuccinelli said, prompting a rare burst of laughter from the staid audience. McAuliffe said Cuccinelli had forgotten his "fiduciary duty" when he accepted a $1,500 Thanksgiving dinner for his family from Williams.