Democrats Capture Control of Virginia Senate

Democrats hoped to pick up as many as five House seats, which they said would position them to gain control of that chamber in the 2009 election.

The victory in the Senate marks the largest gain in that chamber by one party since 1991, when Republicans picked up eight seats during the administration of former governor L. Douglas Wilder (D).

Hoping to counterbalance the Democratic tilt of her Fairfax City and Vienna-based district, Davis raised more than $1 million for her matchup against Petersen.

Oleszek and Barker argued that Cuccinelli and O'Brien, who are among the most conservative members of the Senate, were out of the step with Fairfax County residents' views on social issues.

Kaine also targeted several open Senate seats created by GOP retirement. Conservatives also unseated two moderate GOP senators in the June primary.

In a district that stretches between western Loudoun and Winchester, Democrat Karen K. Schultz lost to Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel for the seat of retiring Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester).

In central Virginia, former delegate Albert C. Pollard Jr. (D) lost to Republican Richard H. Stuart for the seat of retiring Senate President John H. Chichester (R-Northumberland).

In a reliably Republican district near Roanoke, Democrat Michael J. Breiner lost an aggressive campaign against Republican Ralph K. Smith.

Because Republicans were widely seen as having difficulty recruiting challengers, most of the Democrats' 17 incumbents ran unopposed or faced nominal challengers this year.

The fall campaign for control of the General Assembly got off to an unusually early start as both parties started investing millions in the races in August.

According to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project, legislative candidates raised nearly $60 million this year, double what was spent in 2003, the last time both delegates and senators were on the ballot.