|
SPECIAL ELECTION REPORT
December 14, 2009
Two special elections for the state Senate will be held January 12 to fill vacancies in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The two Republican-held Senate seats are open following November’s election of Sen. Ken Stolle as Sheriff of Virginia Beach, and Sen. Ken Cuccinelli as Attorney General. Stolle’s district is reliably Republican; Cuccinelli’s Fairfax district is more competitive, giving him a margin of just 91 votes in his 2007 reelection campaign.
These special elections could help Republicans gain control of the state Senate after sweeping to victory in statewide races and boosting their House majority in November. Democrats cling to a one-seat margin in the Senate. If Republicans win both special elections on January 12, they would need just one defector to take control of state government from top to bottom -- just in time for redistricting next year. Republicans will attempt to lure one or two Senate Democrats across the aisle or into the new McDonnell administration.
Here’s a look at the districts and the candidates.
SENATE DISTRICT 8 – VIRGINIA BEACH
Senate District 8 includes the oceanfront section of Virginia Beach and stretches south through suburban areas to the city’s rural southern tip. Tourism is the leading industry, and the U.S. Navy is a major presence with hundreds of military and civilian jobs at Oceana Naval Air Station. The 8th District is reliably Republican; Ken Stolle has not even had an opponent since ousting Democrat Sonny Stallings to win the seat in 1991. Bob McDonnell, John McCain, Jerry Kilgore and George Allen all carried the district. Mark Warner is the only Democrat to win here in 15 years. Republican Jeff McWaters is a prohibitive favorite to win the Senate special election January 12.
The Candidates:
Jeff McWaters (R)
1207 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
757-965-3700
Jeff McWaters is a founder and former CEO of Amerigroup Corporation. A native of Kentucky, he attended Paducah Community College and the University of Kentucky and has a degree in accounting. He worked for Ernst and Young, then CIGNA, and finally Value Options, a behavioral health care company, before launching Amerigroup in 1994. He handily defeated a tough competitor, Virginia Beach City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson, for the GOP nod in early December. McWaters won 63 percent of the vote in a five-hour firehouse primary that attracted 7,600 voters despite heavy rain. McWaters is heavily favored to win.
Bill Fleming (D)
1324 Five Point Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
757-481-0604
Bill Fleming is a last-minute entry into this special election. He is the president of Network Interfaces Corporation, an information technology firm. He is A former U.S. Army lieutenant who earned his doctorate in physics from North Carolina State University. This is his first bid for state elective office, but he is active in the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, Democracy for America and Organizing for America.
Omar Pickron (I)
3230 Yorkborough Way
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23453
Omar Pickron is a native of Virginia Beach and attended local schools and Old Dominion University. His online biography does not include any occupation.
SENATE DISTRICT 37 – SOUTHWESTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY
Senate District 37 is in southwestern Fairfax County, home to AOL and other tech companies clustered around Dulles Airport. Cuccinelli won re-election in 2007 by just 91 votes over Janet Oleszek in a race that saw the candidates spend a combined total of $1.5 million.The District’s population reflects the influx of immigrants to Virginia in general and Northern Virginia in particular. Asians make up 16 percent of the district’s population. Koreans, in particular, are flocking to the Chantilly area. Blacks and Hispanics combine for another 14 percent. Education, median income and homeownership levels here are all way above the state average. The area supported Obama last year with 55%, but backed McDonnell this year by a narrow margin. Warner, Webb and Kaine all carried the district.
In legislative races, the district is a tossup in high-turnout year and leans Republican in low turnout years. Republican Steve Hunt shares many of Cuccinelli’s very conservative views and, like Cuccinelli, is probably to the right of the district’s voters. Democrat Dave Marsden will need big margins of victory in West Springfield and West Fairfax to win this very competitive special election.
The Candidates:
Steve Hunt (R)
P.O. Box 379, Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Ph 703-502-0633
Steve Hunt won the GOP nomination in a December firehouse primary over fellow Republicans Marianne Horinko and Will Nance. Hunt received 955 votes, while Horinko got 479 and Nance 469. Hunt shares much of Cuccinelli’s staunchly conservative ideology. He is a senior systems analyst at defense contractor SAIC, where his focus involves computer modeling and software development. A native of Upper Marlboro, MD, he moved to Fairfax 15 years ago after retiring from active duty as a Naval Flight Officer. He was a member of the Fairfax County School Board from 2004-2007. He received his civil engineering degree from Duke University.
Del. Dave Marsden (D)
P.O. Box 10889
Burke, VA 22009
571-249-3037
Delegate Dave Marsden was just reelected in November in a House district that makes up a portion of Senate district 37. Marsden was legislative aide to Republican Delegate Jim Dillard and won Dillard’s seat when the veteran legislator retired in 2005. Marsden switched parties to run as a Democrat and won with 60% of the vote. Marsden spent most of his career in juvenile corrections. He ran the Fairfax Juvenile Detention Center for 17 years before accepting an appointment from Gov. Jim Gilmore in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. After the election of Gov. Mark Warner in 2001, Marsden became a private consultant on juvenile justice issues. A native of Alexandria, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland.
|
