DISTRICT 35: Richard L. Saslaw, the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, is one of the most consequential politicians in the state, a garrulous straight talker and a master of the trade-offs required to make policy and pass legislation. He faces only nominal opposition from Republican Robert Sarvis, a high-tech entrepreneur with no political experience, and an obscure independent candidate. The district is in eastern Fairfax County.
DISTRICT 36: Linda T. “Toddy” Puller, the Democratic incumbent and the widow of a Vietnam veteran, is a problem-solver who has been a champion on veterans’ issues. By contrast, her Republican opponent, Jeffrey Frederick, has embraced the fantasy that, by slashing taxes on seniors, businesses, cars and houses, the state will magically gather enough revenue to solve its transportation problem. Mr. Frederick’s previous turn in politics, as chairman of the state Republican Party, was marked by mismanagement and incendiary remarks and ended with his removal after barely a year amid criticism from top GOP leaders. He’d be a poor choice for this district, which follows Route 1 from Fairfax through Prince William and into Stafford County.
DISTRICT 37: Democratic incumbent David W. Marsden, a former director of Virginia’s Department of Juvenile Justice, is the legislature’s undisputed expert on the subject and a sane, sensible voice on criminal justice questions generally. The Republican challenger, Jason Flanary, is a conservative pollster who thinks cannibalizing funding for schools and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse — in one of the best-governed states in the nation — is the answer to paying for new roads and bridges. Mr. Marsden is a straight talker; Mr. Flanary, running in a swing district that slices through western Fairfax, likes to have things both ways. He promises to oppose all new taxes but says he didn’t take a pledge to do so, and dodges questions on immigration and abortion.
DISTRICT 39: In this race between two thoughtful moderates, George L. Barker, a bright health-care expert who is the Democratic incumbent, is the clear pick for two reasons. First, he has been heavily involved in local and community issues for years. Second, he is one of the more effective, pragmatic lawmakers in Richmond, with a proven record of pushing through bills to lure firms to Northern Virginia and extend tax relief to the elderly and disabled people. By contrast, M. Miller Baker, the Republican challenger, is a Washington lawyer who is a beginner on state and local issues and has no clear ideas for how to address funding shortfalls for transportation in this traffic-clogged district, which includes parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties and Alexandria.
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