Matchup Might Prove to Be A Bellwether for Purple State

Two longtime local residents with lengthy civic credentials are vying for the 34th District delegate seat recently vacated by a 40-year political veteran.

The candidates are Democrat Margaret G. Vanderhye, a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and Republican David M. Hunt, who runs a patent company.

Hunt is a former legislative aide to longtime Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr. (R-Fairfax). The head of the powerful appropriations committee announced his retirement earlier this year. The district encompasses Great Falls and parts of Vienna, McLean and Herndon.

The race is being watched as a possible bellwether of Virginia's continued shift from a red state into a blue one. Callahan is the only Republican state legislator from inside the Beltway.

"There are some changing demographics, and it's not an ideal year for Republicans," Hunt said. "But I'm not partisan; I just want to solve problems for people."

The two are about even in fundraising and have clashed over the Vanderhye campaign's automated phone calls that Hunt says unfairly portray his stance on the abusive-driver fees that were passed as part of a larger transportation bill this year. Vanderhye has raised $310,744 and has $88,139 on hand while Hunt has raised $303,473 and has $89,542 on hand, according to campaign spending reports.

Vanderhye, a McLean resident, serves as an appointee on the transportation authority and says she wants to continue to push for local transportation projects, including planned upgrades to Route 7 and more mass transit. She continues to support the idea of a tunnel for Metro's proposed extension through Tysons Corner to Dulles International Airport -- considered a long shot against above-ground rail -- as does her opponent.

"I don't think it's over yet," Vanderhye said of the tunnel debate.

Vanderhye says that, along with transportation, the biggest issues facing the district's voters are education and the environment. She would like to expand options for localities to build workforce housing for teachers and other government employees. She also hopes to lobby hard on the environment if elected -- saying that the state needs to increase its use of wind power and other alternative fuels.

Vanderhye, who also works as a part-time governmental affairs consultant, previously served on the National Capital Planning Commission and founded a program called "Project Hospitality" that promotes safe prom nights.

Hunt said that Vanderhye's "robo" calls in the district, which took him to task for supporting the transportation bill in the spring, unfairly represent his views on the topic. The fees, which took effect July 1 and range from $750 to $3,000 for serious traffic offenses, would have raised $65 million a year for roads but are being challenged in court.

Hunt said he supported the overall bill because if he hadn't, the state would have lost millions in valued transit funding, but "that doesn't make me an unabashed supporter of abusive-driver fees." Now he says that if elected, he'll sponsor legislation to repeal the penalties.

He said that his work as Callahan's chief legislative aide on appropriations gives him valuable experience he could use in Richmond. His other priorities include pushing for more national accreditation for teachers and sponsoring legislation that requires that the state seek competitive bids on public-private projects.