The likely star of the 2012 General Assembly session will be a statewide elected leader that I doubt most Virginians could identify… Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

The Lt. Governor’s job is part time. He presides over the State Senate when it’s in session. That’s about it. Generally, that includes routine business matters. Sure, he’s around for ribbon cuttings and other official business. And, Gov. McDonnell has tasked Lt. Gov. Bolling with job creation. Still, his job rarely grabs big headlines.

That will all change starting tomorrow. Why? Because the State Senate is now split 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The person who will break any and all ties is the Lt. Governor, who just happens to be a Republican.

This puts Bolling, who is likely to mount a campaign for governor in 2013 in an interesting position. In the past, he rarely had to make a public vote on any particularly controversial matter. Not anymore. Any bill that passes the more conservative, Republican controlled House of Delegates will now have a 50-50 shot of making it out of the Senate committee structure and onto the floor of the senate where it could very likely end in a tie vote.

The calculus for Bolling will be interesting. He’ll have to consider 1) his core beliefs, 2) the impact any vote could have in a divisive primary battle with the more conservative Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and 3) the impact any vote could have on his ability to beat a Democrat in the general election.

Will he vote with the far right to “out conservative” Cuccinelli? Will he vote more moderately, knowing he can never be more conservative than Cuccinelli and that some of those conservative votes on abortion, gay rights, etc. could hurt him with the more moderate/independent voters in Northern Virginia?

Simply put, Bill Bolling is in a precarious position. On many of the hot button issues of this session and the next, his stance will be well known and on the record. That will give his opponents on the right and the left lots of ammunition.