Byrne, Bolling Take Lt. Governor's Races

Connaughton, 44, campaigned on the strength of his record leading Prince William through a period of unprecedented growth. State politicians have made that job harder, he argued, by failing to pay their share of school and road costs.

Bolling, 47, a former local official from the Richmond area, has been building party support for his run for years. He pushed his 10-year Senate record of opposing taxes. He pledged to boost tourism and job creation in southwest Virginia.

Even as the two emphasized their conservative bona fides, the race had been widely viewed as part of a broader struggle between GOP centrists and conservatives, sparked when the party split in 2004 over whether to support Gov. Mark R. Warner's (D) tax plan. Bolling opposed the deal, even as most of his Republican colleagues in the Senate sided with Warner and Democrats. He said that showed his hostility to taxes ran deeper than Connaughton's. Connaughton said he too opposed the 2004 tax increase, given that the economy and tax revenue already were growing.

Connaughton said last night that Bolling had been successful in labeling him as a candidate willing to raise taxes.

"He ran a very negative campaign against me, which unfortunately got to people who didn't know me," Connaughton said.

"Both candidates have been running really far to the right," said Mark J. Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University.

Baskerville, 53, who jockeyed with Petersen for second place much of last evening as returns came in, asked voters to help boost her chances of being the first black woman elected lieutenant governor and said she could help Kaine in urban areas.

Puckett, a former teacher and principal, worked hard to bring out voters in southwest Virginia and in rural areas where his supporters were concentrated.

Staff writers Chris L. Jenkins and Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.