The Democrats also believe they must hold the seat left by retiring state Sen. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of such individual decisions by voters across the state will set the direction of Virginia politics for the next two years and maybe longer.ĭemocrats, facing a decade-long trend of ebbing power and a disadvantage in fund-raising, have their hopes pinned on challenges to three Republican delegates. "You can tell something about a person from a handshake." He couldn't name a single issue she favored, but he admired her confidence. "I knew I was going to vote for you because of the handshake," Cliff Roe, 40, told Dobey as she campaigned outside the Westlawn Supermarket in Falls Church. Voters are left grasping for meaningful distinctions. Multilingualism also is in, with candidates printing fliers in Spanish, Korean and Chinese and being careful not to skip television and radio appearances geared to immigrant communities.Īnd as both parties struggle for an edge on core issues, candidates magnify slight differences. They want growth managed, commutes shortened, guns controlled and taxes lowered. Their polls show voters in the Washington suburbs clamoring for smaller classes, more teachers, higher academic standards. Party leaders have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars targeting voters in these districts with messages intended to resonate in Northern Virginia. The Republicans' drive to take control of the 140-seat state legislature for the first time in more than a century-and the Democrats' drive to stop them-could turn on a dozen races, half of them in the Washington suburbs. Roadways are ablaze with signs.īut beneath the gloss and growl of the campaigns are debates over the region's top issues: easing traffic, improving schools, preventing gun crimes. Candidates are on television, in your mailbox, at your doorstep. There are few places left for Virginians to hide in these final days before Tuesday's elections. Byrne, a onetime congresswoman, sits at her keyboard before dawn, trolling for votes in cyberspace. Her conservative independent rival, Virginia T. Race and candidate information, campaign contributions, Web links.Īt a Fairfax County store, a man dressed as an elephant helps hand out fliers for Republican state Sen.
Statehouse Battle Puts Focus on Key N.Va. : Statehouse Battle Puts Focus on Key N.Va.
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