Northern Virginia voters largely stuck with Democratic incumbents Tuesday as Republicans waged a fierce battle to cement power in Richmond by taking control of the state Senate.
With four-fifths of the vote counted, Sen. George L. Barker (D) led challenger Miller Baker (R) in a district stretching from Prince William County to Alexandria — a map Barker played a key role in drawing. In Fairfax County, Sen. David W. Marsden (D) had a clear lead over Republican Jason Flanary.
Va. election 2011
Dick Black (R), longtime antiabortion activist and former House delegate, appeared headed for an easy win over businessman Shawn Mitchell (D) in a new Senate district in Loudoun and Prince William counties. Three-term Sen. Linda T. “Toddy” Puller (D) held back an energetic challenge by Jeff Frederick, the former state Republican Party chairman and delegate from Prince William, in a district that snakes from the tip of Stafford County up the Potomac and into Fairfax.
In the race to succeed Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D), who is retiring, Arlington County Board member Barbara Favola (D) easily defeated businesswoman Caren Merrick (R) for a seat stretching from Arlington to eastern Loudoun.
The rest of the region’s incumbent senators appeared headed toward victory, as did the area’s sitting House members, even as Republicans gained as many as seven House seats statewide.
Del. Barbara J. Comstock (R) was headed toward a win over businesswoman Pamela Danner (D) in the district including Great Falls and part of McLean. With three-quarters of the vote in, David Ramadan (R) was narrowly edging Mike Kondratick (D) in a district covering portions of Loudoun and Prince William.
The Senate was the main battlefield as Republicans were only about 100 votes in a single central Virginia district from seizing the chamber. Democrats currently hold a 22-to-18 edge in the Senate — their lone power center in a state where the GOP controls the House of Delegates and the governor’s mansion.
Unfettered Republican dominance of the government could have far-reaching consequences for Northern Virginia, where explosive growth has created a thirst for more transportation and education funding and deep resentment against a state government that the region’s politicians say sends a disproportionate number of dollars to less densely populated areas.
The off-year elections — Virginia is one of only four states that hold elections in the year before a presidential vote — routinely draw sparse turnouts. This year, poll watchers reported some confusion as many voters found themselves in newly drawn districts, the result of redistricting that takes place after the census every 10 years.
With the new districts and some long-standing officials retiring or facing stiff challenges, voters in some areas had stark choices. But for 10 of Northern Virginia’s 32 seats, there was no contest at all. Similarly, statewide, 73 of 100 seats in the House of Delegates went unchallenged by one of the two major parties, and 15 of the Senate’s 40 seats offered no choice between a Republican and a Democrat.
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