Campaigns and Elections

Professor of Political Science Quentin Kidd of Christopher Newport University joined Coy Barefoot yesterday afternoon on "Charlottesville—Right Now!" to discuss the recent elections in Virginia. What does this mean for the General Assembly? How to explain Democrats winning in conservative Hampton Roads? What is the "suburban thesis?"

Delegate Rob Wittman, a member of the Sorensen Institute's Fredericksburg Regional Board and a frequent speaker to our programs, has received the Republican nomination in the First District special election to fill the seat vacated as a result of the death of Jo Ann Davis. Davis passed away in October.

The Democrats have chosen Iraq veteran and school teacher Phil Forgit as their candidate for the special election.

Click here to read the full story about Wittman's nomination victory.

The special election will be held on December 11.

Yesterday was a big day for Sorensen Graduates.  Of the 68 running around the Commonwealth, 48 were successful in their bids for public office.  We are proud to see so many graduates stepping forward and answering the call to this form of public service. We would like to thank all graduates who ran and worked on campaigns across Virginia. Below is the full list of graduates elected yesterday, but first some summary statistics:

-       18 are Democrats, 18 are Republicans and 12 are Independents;

-       16 won seats in the General Assembly, including 2 State Senators and 14 Delegates;

-       Two members of the current Political Leaders Program won office: Brian Bates, a Republican, was elected to the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors and Jen Little, a Democrat, was elected to the Mathews County School Board;

-       21 graduates of the Political Leaders Program, 31 Graduates of the Candidate Training Program and 1 Graduate of the Danville-Southside Program were elected, including three graduates of both the PLP and CTP and Mike Taylor, our “Sorensen Triple Crown Winner” (a graduate of all three programs) was elected Sheriff in Pittsylvania County;

-       Sorensen Graduates were elected to the offices of Senator, Delegate, Supervisor, Commissioner of the Revenue, Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Soil and Water Conservation District Board, School Board, and Treasurer;

-       Once these new graduates are sworn in a total of 110 Sorensen Graduates will have served in elected office across all levels in the Commonwealth.

Sorensen Graduates Elected 2007

Kenny Alexander, House of Delegates, 89th District
James Arrington, Board of Supervisors, Madison County
Brian Bates, Board of Supervisors, Buckingham County, District 5
Valerie Bruffey, Commissioner of Revenue, Allegheny County
David Bulova, House of Delegates, 37th District
Karen Butler, Clerk of Court, New Kent County
Nancy Carwile, Board of Supervisors, Charlotte County Cullen-Red House District
Gary Clemens, Clerk of Court, Loudon County
Gary Close, Commonwealth's Attorney, Culpeper County
John Cosgrove, House of Delegates, 78th District
Ross D’Urso, Commissioner of Revenue, Fauquier County
Adam Ebbin, House of Delegates, 49th District
Nick Evans, Soil & Water Conservation District Board, Albemarle County
Bradley Finch, Commonwealth's Attorney, Montgomery County
Marc Finney, Board of Supervisors, Brunswick County, District 4
John Foust, Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County, Dranesville District
Ron Frazier, Board of Supervisors, Rappahannock County, Jackson District
Marsha Garst, Commonwealth's Attorney, Harrisonburg
Jay Gilliam, Soil and Water Conservation Board, Rockbridge County
Alicia Gordon, Soil and Water Conservation Board, Alleghany County
Chip Harding, Sheriff, Albemarle County
Joseph Horbal, Commissioner of Revenue, Chesterfield County
Robert Hurt, State Senate, 19th District
Herb Jones, Treasurer, New Kent County
Lynwood Lewis, House of Delegates, 100th District
Jennifer Little, School Board, Mathew County
Ann Mallek, Board of Supervisors, Albemarle County, White Hall District
Danny Marshall, House of Delegates, 14th District
Bobby Mathieson, House of Delegates, 21st District
Jenn McClellan, House of Delegates, 71st District
Jeff McKay, Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County, Lee District
Stevens Miller, Board of Supervisors, Loudon County, Dulles
Steven Nixon, Board of Supervisors, Culpeper County, West Fairfax
Marty Nohe, Board of Supervisors, Prince William County, Coles District
Ralph Northam, State Senate, 6th District
David Nutter, House of Delegates, 7th District
Chris Peace, House of Delegates, 97th District
Frank Principi, Board of Supervisors, Prince William County, Woodbridge District
Stephen Shannon, House of Delegates, 35th District
Mark Sickles, House of Delegates, 43rd District
Corey Stewart, Board of Supervisors- Chairman, Prince William County
Mike Taylor, Sheriff, Pittsylvania County
Tara Thomas, Treasurer, Gloucester County
Shannon Valentine, House of Delegates, 23rd District
Margi Vanderhye, House of Delegates, 34th District
Joseph Walton, Board of Supervisors, Powhatan County, District 1
Art Warren, Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield County, Clover Hill
Brian Wheeler, School Board, Albemarle County, At large

Sean O'Brien is quoted in today's edition of the Washington Examiner in an article titled "Expensive Election Campaign Winding Down in Virginia."

Click here for the full story.

The Sorensen Institute's Executive Director, Sean O'Brien, is quoted in the following newspapers this morning regarding the upcoming elections.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Most in Va. Likely to Stay Away from Polls"
    Despite the hassle, the negativity and the enormous demands on their
time, candidates are drawn to the political process by a sense of
idealism, said one University of Virginia expert.
    "They really want to make a positive difference," said Sean T.
O'Brien, director of U.Va.'s Sorensen Institute, which trains
prospective political leaders.
    Twenty-three General Assembly candidates this year have attended the institute, he said.

Click here for the full story.

Lynchburg News & Advance, "Abbitt, Brennan Highlight Election"
    The only real contest anywhere near Lynchburg is the House of Delegates race between Del. Watkins Abbitt, I-Appomattox, and Connie Brennan, a Nelson County Democrat. They are running in the seven-county 59th House District.
    The race has been a contest, according to Sean O’Brien, director of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. Brennan is a graduate of its candidate-training program.
    “Indisputably, Connie is giving Watkins Abbitt probably the hardest race he’s had in recent memory, and she certainly has been raising a lot of money and run a strong campaign,” O’Brien said.
    “It is definitely an uphill battle for any challenger at all, but especially against Watkins Abbitt, who is well-established and very popular,” O’Brien said.

Click here for the full story.

The News Virginian, "Deeper Forces at Work in State Legislative Elections"
    “In terms of good politics, part of the reason Warner was so popular [as governor] is that people in Southside and Southwest Virginia felt like he paid attention to their needs,” said Sean O’Brien, director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.
    But O’Brien acknowledges that there will be a tension to make sure that Northern Virginia gets its fair share of attention should senators from that region rule committees.
    “There’s a strong attitude in Northern Virginia about how much they contribute, and it’s not too hard to imagine that you will hear people say, ‘We need to keep our money up here,’ ” O’Brien said.

Click here for the full story.

One week from today—Tuesday, November 6— Virginians will go to the polls to elect a variety
of local candidates as well as 140 members to the Virginia General
Assembly.

As in past years, dozens of Sorensen graduates have
stepped forward to run for office. No less than 69 individual Sorensen
graduates—representing a full spectrum of political beliefs—are seeking
office this year, including 37 incumbents and 32 first-time
challengers. We applaud them for their courage and conviction, and
thank them for answering Thomas Jefferson's call to action: "Come
forward then, and give us the aid of your talents and the weight of
your characters towards the new establishment of democracy."

Here is a break-down of the number of Sorensen graduates and the offices they are seeking:

House of Delegates: 20
State Senate: 3
Board of Supervisors: 23 (including 2 for Chairman)
Sheriff: 6
Commissioner of Revenue: 4
Clerk of Court: 2
Commonwealth's Attorney: 2
Soil and Water Conservation Board: 3
School Board: 3
Treasurer: 3

We will have a complete report on the results of this year's candidates following the election.

Shaun Kenney and Jesse Ferguson were guests Monday afternoon on "Charlottesville—Right Now! with Coy Barefoot." Shaun is the Director of Communications for the Republican Party of Virginia and Jesse is the Chief of Staff and Political Director for Delegate Brian Moran and works closely with the Democratic Party of Virginia. Jesse is also a graduate of the Political Leaders Program Class of 2004.

The big issue in this conversation: the General Assembly races of 2007. Shaun and Jesse also discussed at length this recent story in Sunday's Washington Post. They also share their take on the politics of negative campaigning.

Two weeks from today—Tuesday, November 6— Virginians will go to the polls to elect a variety of local candidates as well as 140 members to the Virginia General Assembly.

As in past years, dozens of Sorensen graduates have stepped forward to run for office. No less than 69 individual Sorensen graduates—representing a full spectrum of political beliefs—are seeking office this year, including 37 incumbents and 32 first-time challengers. We applaud them for their courage and conviction, and thank them for answering Thomas Jefferson's call to action: "Come forward then, and give us the aid of your talents and the weight of your characters towards the new establishment of democracy."

Here is a break-down of the number of Sorensen graduates and the offices they are seeking:

House of Delegates: 20
State Senate: 3
Board of Supervisors: 23 (including 2 for Chairman)
Sheriff: 6
Commissioner of Revenue: 4
Clerk of Court: 2
Commonwealth's Attorney: 2
Soil and Water Conservation Board: 3
School Board: 3
Treasurer: 3

We will have a complete report on the results of this year's candidates following the election.