Both Parties See Winning Issue in 2004 Tax Vote

In the Post poll, 89 percent of registered voters said transportation was an important issue in deciding how they would vote in the governor's race.

"There was nothing, not a penny in that budget that was brought home for transportation projects," Black said. "All the liberals said: 'My goodness, the sky is going to fall without transportation money.' . . . That's what I thought this whole deal was about."

James Hyland is challenging Shannon for supporting a tax package that Hyland said did not bring enough transportation money to the 35th House District. "Steve Shannon should not have raised taxes, and he should have fought to get our fair share for transportation and education like he promised," Hyland's Web site says.

"For Northern Virginia," Hyland said in an interview, "it was a terrible deal."

Shannon said the 2004 tax package helped set the stage for this year's legislative decision to increase transportation funding. He said Virginia was able to fund $848 million in transportation initiatives in 2005 largely because it got its finances in shape in 2004.

"The people in my district are smart," Shannon said. "They know that the anti-tax, anti-property-tax message doesn't have legs anymore."

The tax issue is also likely to be prominent in Northern Virginia districts where no incumbent is running. Democrats supportive of the plan are running against anti-tax Republicans in those districts.

In the 41st District in Fairfax County, Democrat Dave W. Marsden faces Republican Michael J. Golden. In the 67th District in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, Democrat Chuck Caputo faces Chris S. Craddock, who defeated Del. Gary A. Reese (R-Fairfax) in a June primary. Chuck J. Eby Jr., a Libertarian, also is running in the 67th.