House Centrists Prevail In Va.

George Mason University public policy professor Mark J. Rozell said Byrne appealed to "the more true-believer types" who dominate a Democratic primary. "The activist core tends to be much more liberal than the general election base."

Election officials said the heat -- it was 100 degrees in some places -- probably discouraged some voters. The turnout was likely to be less than 10 percent of registered voters, the officials said.

Voters who braved the weather found few lines. Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria), who was unopposed, worked the polls for his fellow Democrats.

"There's only one voter every five minutes," he said. "It's great, because I can give my whole spiel."

Democrats and Republicans also chose candidates for the House of Delegates in several open seats across Northern Virginia.

Last year, after a standoff of several months, the General Assembly approved tax increases to support more spending on education and other services. The stalemate ended when 17 GOP delegates broke with their leadership to join Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) in backing the tax plan.

Anti-tax activists vowed to punish the Republicans. Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, created a "Virginia's Least Wanted" poster with mug shots of the offending lawmakers.

The effort succeeded in ousting Del. Gary A. Reese (R-Fairfax). Challenger Chris S. Craddock, a youth minister, won the GOP nomination.

But the other delegates won their primaries. In Northern Virginia, Dels. Joe T. May (Loudoun) and Harry J. Parrish (Manassas) defeated their youthful challengers, who had attempted to stoke anger over the tax increases.

Del. Robert D. "Bobby" Orrock Sr. beat back a challenge from Shaun Kenney, the Spotsylvania County Republican Party chairman. Freshman delegate Edward T. Scott (Madison) beat former pastor Mark Jarvis. And Del. L. Preston Bryant Jr. (Lynchburg), who led the coalition of maverick GOP delegates, defeated former Lynchburg City Council member Robert Garver.

"This election was a referendum on me and the actions I took last year," Bryant said. "My opponent made sure that was the case."

Virginia and New Jersey are the only states that hold major elections the year after a presidential election. Turnout for primaries in the off-years tends to be very low.