On Tuesday, the Republicans took back Virginia – at least for this election cycle. Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli all easily won the top three offices in the state by double digits. Governor-elect McDonnell trounced Democrat Creigh Deeds at the top of the ticket.
The local Republican Committees held their victory party at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood, where the candidates and volunteers gathered to celebrate. The first local candidate to be declared a winner was Morgan Griffith, House of Delegates 8th District and the current incumbent. He defeated Carter Turner by more than double, 69 percent to 31 percent.
Bill Cleaveland handily defeated Democrat Gwen Mason, 62 percent to 38 percent, for the 17th House of Delegates seat being vacated by William Fralin. “People want to go back to fundamentals in government, they want a responsible government, one that they can trust, and they have spoken tonight loud and clear,” said Cleaveland, a Botetourt County attorney.
Ed Elswick, in his first run for local office, won over challenger Sarah Goodman by 16 points in the race for the Windsor Hills Board of Supervisors (Roanoke County). “I feel that what we did in visiting a lot of people and asking their opinions on how the county should be run is reflected in the way that they voted – and they supported what I think we ought to be doing,.” said Elswick.
Elswick had defeated incumbent Republican Joseph McNamara in a primary last June before taking on Goodman, the Democratic candidate and another first timer. “Major decisions made by the county should not be made by a few administrators,” added Elswick, who railed against expenditures, such as the new Green Ridge Recreation Center during the campaign. He then took his hat off of his head and added a “feather to his cap” to loud applause.
Mike Altizer, the incumbent for the Vinton Board of Supervisors seat, faced a challenger for the first time, Patrick Patterson. Each ended up with 50 percent of the vote and Patterson was ahead after reports from the polling sites came in, but when the absentee ballots were counted, Altizer squeaked by with a margin of 18 votes. Mike Stovall was re-elected to the Roanoke County School Board seat he has held for the past 14 years. Richard Flora, the GOP incumbent Supervisor in Hollins, also turned back his challenger, Charlene Waybright.
Roanoke City Sheriff Octavia Johnson faced two challengers in her bid for re-election. In a close race, Johnson won by less than 200 votes over her closet competitor, Frank Garrett, a deputy in her office.
It wasn’t a clean sweep locally for Republicans. Douglas Walker lost to incumbent Democrat Sherman Holland in the Commissioner of the Revenue race in Roanoke City; after leading early, Troy Bird (11th House District) was defeated 60 percent to 40 percent by incumbent Delegate Onzlee Ware.
“Quite honesty right now I am still smiling,” said Bird. “Win or lose, I guarantee you that I shook up a lot of things. There was a time there when Onzlee Ware was watching TV and saying to himself ‘this doesn’t look very good.’”
By Carla Bream [email protected]