Va. Democrats Take Control of State Senate

"I did not think that immigration in and of itself would carry the day," Saslaw said. "The results are proving that while immigration is a concern to people -- and it should be -- it is not returning the votes that they thought that it would."

However, in Prince William, Republican Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart succeeded in winning reelection after making illegal immigration a focus of the campaign. He had led the board to impose tough sanctions on illegal immigrants, making national news.

Robert D. Holsworth, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the "decline of the Republican brand" rallied Democratic activists, bringing forward credible Democratic candidates and attracting hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to Democratic campaigns.

Democrats claimed victory on the Eastern Shore, where Democrat Ralph S. Northam defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Nick Rerras. And in Tidewater, Democrat John C. Miller defeated Republican Patricia B. "Tricia" Stall for an open Senate seat last held by a Republican.

The party also successfully defended a challenge against Charles Colgan (D-Prince William), who will remain the Senate's longest-serving member.

In the outer suburbs of Northern Virginia, Karen K. Schultz, a Democrat, appeared to be losing her bid to capture a typically Republican seat that has been held by Republican H. Russell Potts Jr. Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel was leading.

Republicans successfully defended a Senate seat in the Roanoke area, as Ralph K. Smith defeated Democrat Michael J. Breiner. Smith defeated incumbent Republican J. Brandon Bell in a primary this year after Bell spent much of the last year advocating a statewide ban on smoking.

In the House of Delegates, where Democrats had predicted they would make more modest progress against a strong Republican majority, Democrats gained four seats, and may add another, bringing them closer to parity with the Republican majority.

Democrats picked up a House seat in Virginia Beach, where incumbent Republican John J. Welch III lost to Democrat R.W. "Bobby" Mathieson. But the GOP picked up a seat in the Richmond suburbs by defeating independent Katherine B. Waddell with Republican G.M. "Manoli" Loupassi.

Democrat Margaret G. Vanderhye defeated Republican David M. "Dave" Hunt for the seat left open by the retirement of longtime GOP lawmaker Vincent F. Callahan Jr. in the Mclean area of Fairfax.

In Virginia Beach, Democrat Joseph F. "Joe" Bouchard defeated Chris P. Stolle. In Prince William County, Democrat Paul F. Nichols defeated Republican Faisal M. Gill.

A race in Reston between incumbent Republican Thomas D. Rust and Democratic challenger Jay P. Donohue was too close to call.