Two County Residents Contend For No. 2

Four former and current state lawmakers are locked in a fight for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, an office that has limited responsibilities but lots of potential for those seeking to advance in Virginia politics.

For the first time in recent memory, two candidates from Fairfax County are competing for Virginia's No. 2 job: former congresswoman and state senator Leslie L. Byrne and Del. J.C. "Chap" Petersen. The other contenders on Tuesday's primary ballot are Del. Viola Osborne Baskerville of Richmond and Sen. Phillip P. Puckett of Russell County in Southwest Virginia.

Although lieutenant governor can be a springboard to higher office, the job for the most part involves procedure more than policy: presiding over the Senate and breaking ties. The candidates are working to extend their regional prominence statewide, introducing themselves to voters who may not have heard of them yet.

The winner will earn a place on the Nov. 8 ballot with Democrat Timothy M. Kaine, the current lieutenant governor and the party's candidate for governor.

Byrne, 58, is playing up a 20-year résumé in Virginia politics, from state delegate to a term in the U.S. House of Representatives to the state Senate.

The Republican plan for legislative redistricting forced her to give up her seat in 2003. As she aims for a political comeback, she is playing to her base among those voters in the Washington suburbs who identify with the party's liberal wing.

Byrne, of Falls Church, made her mark challenging the establishment, even within her own party, and championing social causes such as abortion rights and gay rights. She has long sided with environmentalists and organized labor and was an outspoken woman in a male-dominated legislature.

"The challenge is to show voters that who is lieutenant governor makes a difference," Byrne said. "Obviously the people who support me understand the experience I bring to the job. Having served in the Senate, I know the rules going in."

Petersen, 37, a two-term delegate and lawyer from Fairfax City, is pitching his campaign toward the Democrats' moderate base outside Northern Virginia, much of it in rural counties.

He calls himself a "new generation" of Virginia Democrat who is concerned about the bread-and-butter issues of jobs and lower property taxes.

"It's fair to say that within every party there is an activist base, which is important," Petersen said. "It's also important to connect with voters who are not part of that base."

Baskerville, 53, has served in the House since 1998 and is hoping to make history in Virginia by becoming the first black woman to win a statewide elected office. Politicians expect her to make a strong showing in her home base. She said that as lieutenant governor she would advance the causes of women and minority-owned businesses.