MAINTAINING the status quo is in the best interest of the Republican Party in our fine Commonwealth, and that is just what happened last night. The Republicans held a commanding majority in both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. While the final counts were not in as of press time, it is likely that the Republicans will gain a seat in the Senate and lose one in the House.
Even if the changes were more significant, they would not reach the point of changing the political landscape of the state. In order for a major paradigm shift to occur, the Republicans had to either lose the majority (yeah, right) or gain enough seats in the Senate to overturn a veto of Gov Mark Warner. Without the ability to overturn the liberal veto, the impending battle over taxes will be a bitter one. Some are scared that the needed restructuring of our tax plan will come in the form of a tax increase, yet others plan on simply redefining the system to streamline revenue. Without a majority, the battle will be long and drawn out on party lines.
One fundamental change that we will see on the Republican side of the isle is in a slight shift from the old to the new. Several high profile races, including Jean-Marie Devolites' victory in the 34th Senate district, herald a new school of conservative thought for the GOP. Generally, this trend of moving in the new blood is productive for the party as a whole as it means that conservative politics are alive and kicking in the state.
A grave disappointment for conservatives occurred in Fairfax County, with voters choosing Gerald Connolly for chairman of the Board of Supervisors by a large margin. Apparently Connolly's smear campaign to portray his opponent as an extremist has succeeded. It is indeed unfortunate, and those of us who hail from the most populous county in the state should expect to pay even more in taxes and sit just as long in traffic every morning.
To get a feel for local politics, I attended a party hosted by the Albemarle County Republicans. Like most of the state, nothing too huge changed locally. Del Rob Bell, who ran unopposed as the incumbent for 58th district, joked that his opponent called and conceded around 8 p.m. Ed Robb was re-elected for sheriff, ensuring that all of us are kept safe at night. The School Board and Board of Supervisor seats for the county switched around a bit, but there was not an overall change in the balance of power.
According to Keith Drake, the Albemarle Republican Party Chairman, some people will claim that Albemarle County is an easy win for conservatives, but in recent years it has moved more towards the left. Drake explained, "In 1993, George Allen won the county, his home county, 60 percent to 40 percent when he ran for Governor. When he ran for Senate in 2000, he lost the county 52 percent to 48 percent." Clearly this is an unfortunate trend, but not entirely without cause. Charlottesville is quickly becoming a prime retirement community, and coupled with the standard liberal stance of universities, Albemarle County is moving slowly to the left.
Contrary the big stink raised about re-districting before the election, it is relatively apparent that the "vast right-wing conspiracy" was unsuccessful in rigging the elections through redistricting. Del. Rob Bell confirms that the redistricting had a relatively small effect locally.Most of the redistricting issues were dealt with last year, and the only effects that were new in this election were the addition of several voting precincts.More precincts within the county create more work for the volunteers, but that was about the extent of the negative impact, once again proving the massive redistricting "scandal" was a non-issue.
While the results of this election are about the best that the Republicans can hope for, it is disappointing in that it did not offer the electorate much choice. Aside from a few high profile races, this election was a non-event. Obviously, next year's election will prove to shape the political landscape by an order of magnitude more than it was touched tonight, but today Virginia Republicans can celebrate the status quo.
(Daniel Bagley is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at dbagley@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | 17 hours agoLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 3 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
