The information coming in says it’s a mixed bag. Van Hoy won Fauquier big, Myers had a decent showing in Stafford taking at least Stafford Courthouse voting location, but it sounds like the Northern Neck came through for Stuart.
Results are still unofficial, but if they hold Congrats to Richard Stuart and Virignia Virtucon endorses Stuart for Senate for the General Election.
UPDATE:
More Reports are confirming Stuart is the winner.
We’ll get around to posting information about vote totals and break the vote down later. The weather is just too nice to stay inside in front of a computer today. Congrats to all of the campaigns for running a good race. Congrats to Republican nominee Richard Stuart. Take tonight to reflect on yoru chosen campaign on what didn’t go right and let’s all rally behind Stuart for Senate starting tomorrow.
Filed under: 2007 Elections, Fauquier County Politics, Fredericksburg Politics, General Assembly, Republican Party of Virginia, Stafford County Politics, Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Politics
Well, the official numbers aren’t out yet, but it appears that this November’s general election in Virginia’s 28th Senatorial District will be a contest of Pollard and Pollard-lite (a/k/a Richard Stuart).
The culprit: The as-of-yet-unexplained change from the party convention which had been chosen by the 28th District Republican Committee to a canvass, where an utterly unenforceable loyalty pledge allowed Democrats of all stripes to easily come out and support their favorite candidate, Mr. Stuart, at the bidding of the Dems’ favorite RINO, John Chichester. The process involved in electing delegates to a convention, as well as the necessity of time and travel to attend the convention, would almost certainly have kept most Dems out of a convention.
Here’s what I wrote exactly one month ago about the change…
“I’m disappointed in the change. As much as I like and respect Russ, I don’t have a lot of faith that the Dems will be excluded from the canvass, as there really is no way of knowing who the Dems are without party registration, especially in Stafford County and the more rapidly-shifting population areas of the district. Even though I am probably one of the only people ever to be voted down as a convention delegate where there were empty slots, I still support the convention process, because it leaves the party better able to limit the decision to party members.”
Instead, the Northern Neck was bombarded with nativist, propaganda mailers and radio ads featuring Chi-taxer claiming Stuart as a “solid conservative.” And who paid for this garbage? Such “solid conservatives” as Chi-taxer, Ken Stolle, and Tommy Norment.
Conservatives in this district need to hold those accountable who aided and abetted the change in nomination method. Those people include candidates Myers and Graziano, who supported opening the nomination process up, therefore making it much easier for Dems to come in and vote for Stuart.
It’s a truly disappointing outcome for people who vote on the bases of ideas and philosophy, rather than lock-step allegiance to their favorite political team. It is likely that Mr. Pollard, having equal name recognition in Stafford County with Stuart, will be the ‘Neck’s next state senator, continuing his tax-and-spending ways.
Yes. The only reason Stuart won was because of subterfuge. He wheeled all these Democrats in to vote. All the dirty, dirty RINO’s gave him money. And he cut a stealth deal with Myers and Graziano to have an open process, rather than a closed convention where real Republicans could control the levers of power.
Yes, that is what it is. Coudn’t possibly be because Stuart outworked three candidates that got into the race before him. No way that his message might have resonated with Republican.
Think about it like this. What turned out was like 2500 votes or something. Stuart got like 40%. If the message being sent by the so-called conservatives” was so powerful and such a winner, one might think that Stuart’s 1,000 or so votes would have been swamped, even with three opponents. All those people who are angry at Chichester and have had their pent up desire to toss him out should have stormed the barricades. But they didn’t because less than 2,000 of them even exist in that district.
Let’s get to the real reason guys like you want a convention. It has nothing to do with “democrat crossover”–which is ridiculously overstated to begin with. It is because you and the candidate you backed represent such a small portion of the electorate, that the only venue in which you can win. You say it would have kept Democrats out. It sure would. It would also keep out any Republican who has a life that is too short to be stuck in a sweltering room while you and your friends figure out how to torture Robert’s Rules to your liking. And nothing is as exciting to people who might want to take a first step to joining our party than to make them sit through hours of procedural silliness and other timewasters.
It defies logic that the Republican Party can somehow be more sucessful by making it harder and more irritating to participate. Because we all know that the key to winning is shrinking involvement, not growing it.
Here’s some advice. Stop looking for conspiracy theories. Stop blaming the dirty, dirty RINO’s. Look inward. Ask yourself if you are really articulating a message that has a chance of mass appeal to get to 50% +1. Ask yourself if your actions and your message are helping contribute to the fact that fewer and fewer Americans identify as Republicans. Ask yourself if you are OK with being a minority party as long as everyone marches in lockstep.
I am a Republican. A proud one. Life-long. Never voted for a Democrat. But I will tell you this. I have no intention of seeing this party become a permanent minority that is filled with people who just want to oppose what the other side wants. I want the GOP to be a majority party in this country. And that means a little tolerance. A little reaching out. And a lot of getting out of your own echo chamber to find out what real people–those who do not blog, or think about politics every waking minute–expect us to do.
Maybe, when you worry about those things rather than bitching about the fact that the party went with a process that actually might encourage more people to be involved in our party, you will actually be doing something to make this a majority party again, rather than your own little club.
[...] is reporting that Richard Stuart seems to have come out on top in the 28th District Republican canvass, with Van [...]
Congrats to Stuart excellent coverage here.
In the 33rd district an opposite story occured. Patricia Phillips the more conservative candidate defeated the more moderate John Andrews by 113 votes.
Stuart and Phillips will need all of our support in their respective races.
[...] (h/t: Virginia Virtucon) [...]
notrobwittman
Quit your (&&*% whinning. Stuart won this race not because of those who overturned your ridiculously rigged convention where a bunch of thought police try and scare the few who can show up, but because he represents the views of more people than you, Russ Moulton and John Van Hoy. Had you not put up such a ridiculous candidate, then maybe the more conservative elements of the party whould have voted for a rational conservative like Myers. Lets be honest, Russ Moulton and John Van Hoy delivered the nomination to Stuart with their pathetic attempt to play lord and master. its over and whether you like it or not, Stuart has won. Of course, we could have kept the convention, perhaps you could have won, and then in November you could try and find someone to blame when Pollard kicked your (&$* The one thing i am certain of, the people were not going to vote in someone with this much baggage. Thanks
Given a couple more months, I think Myers could have won. He went from someone who was little known, to someone who was all over the district in just a few weeks. Impressive
Thank You for all the folks who believe in less less government and lower taxes and the protectection life as do I. The campaign from Northumberland, Lancaster to Fauquier who believes in such will continue and I give them my thanks and only wish I were a better oritor.
Thanks to all and a very special thanks to Russ and Lindy !
May God bless you all!
John C. Van Hoy
Thank you for visiting and commenting Mr. Van Hoy. Not to mention, thank you for having the courage to run for office. Your campaign did an excellent job. You all can hold your heads high for this one.
Congratulations to Mr. Stuart, and THANK YOU to the other candidates for your willingness to serve in this capacity. Jon Myers and John Van Hoy proved themselves to be true gentlemen throughout a very difficult campaign, and I know the voters of the 28th appreciate that. It is this type of sensibility that will make it possible to heal the party and unite behind Mr. Stuart as we approach the November election.
Jon Myers has posted a thank you letter to his supporters on his website: http://www.votejonmyers.org.
Yes. Congratulations to Richard Stuart and good luck in November.
Perhaps now the fighting can end and we can move forward together. we should all learn a lesson from this as well and try not to repeat the battles/failures in the future. If we are divided, we will not win.
Sorry, that was http://www.votejonmyers.com. I put .org earlier.
Sorry again! http://www.votejonmyers.com
Kelly,
what was that site again?
Very funny, SF.
Kudos to Richard Stuart on an incredible, sweeing, stunning, 41% win in the GOP canvass last Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and the turn out of Republican voters numbering 2,606 people was a credit to all of the candidates in this “friends and neighbors” election.
Yes, the Northern Neck counties contributed heavily to Stuart’s victory. In fact, 70% of Stuarts votes came out of these 4 counties.
Assuming everyone has swallowed their sour grapes, this is a great win for the GOP. This puts Pollard’s Express Train at the depot with broken brakes. For those who say the Democrats “packed the open GOP canvass in favor of Stuart” could not be more wrong. Word on the street in Lancaster County is that Pollard is totally de-rerailed by Stuart’s win. This was the absolute last thing they wanted to see happen. They were looking forward to running against a religious, right-wing evangelical from Staffort County, in which case he would probably have won. Now he’s stopped in his tracks and has to totally re-arrange his campaign plan. Don’t take me wrong, I still think Pollard he is a viable candidate, but now we have a Northern Neck candidate who can blunt his vote totals down here.
NOW, we are really going to need your help in Stafford, King George, Prince William and Fauquier to elect the sensible conservative to keep the Virginia Senate in GOP control–and to maintin our voice in the Virginia General Assembly.
It is vital that we all band behind the common sense Republican, Richard Stuart.
The idea that the Dems would have sent people in the Northern Neck on a beautiful day to go to the polls for Stuart is pure lunacy. You guys in Stafford need to lighten up.
Anonymous (previous poster),
So, you say that you are going to need our help in Stafford and that we should all pull together. But literally the next sentence you say that Stuart is the “common sense Republican,” inferring that none of our Stafford candidates have common sense. Oh yes, then you tell us to “lighten up”, not to mention that fact that you misspelled Stafford as “Staffort”. And why should we support you again?
Seems to me the one person who has angered ALL the Stafford base is Bill Howell. We have worked for him in North Stafford for years and this is how he repays us by helping someone outside of Stafford. I would like to see someone run independent in the race for his seat!
With the dems, the protest vote against him, some of a candidates friends voting for them the race could be close. Probably not a win but if a late independent were to get 45% I think we could say farewell to Howell next time.
But really who would notice ? The Speaker never helped Stafford anyway….if you think so just compare the road system in Richmond to Garrisonville……He did not even know how to get the Falmouth Bridge intersection fixed and this is in sight of his office!
Let at least talk about it….regardless of which Stafford candidate we were working for we all were stabbed in the back by Howell!
I’m sorry, but I really need to get this off of my chest. I went to vote on Saturday and wasn’t aware that I had to sign a form vowing to support the Republican nominee in November. Because I was worried that person would be Richard Stuart, I refused to sign the form and was thus unable to vote. I’m sorry– I am a person of my word, and I would not lie and say that I could support a candidate whose views are completely contradictory to my party’s supposed platform.
Please explain to me how Richard Stuart reflects Republican values when he openly admits to being pro-life privately/pro-choice publicly, believes the state should be hands-off of illegal immigration issues, believes homosexual couples should be permitted to adopt children, has donated multiple times to democrat candidates (including the one he’ll face off against in November!) in the past, and has not taken a hard line against tax increases??? Someone, please tell me what in his platform differs from Albert Pollard’s– or is similar to our own party platform! (This is when the crickets start chirping.)
I cannot express my disappointment enough in the voters of Stafford County for not coming out to vote. It was an abysmal showing in Stafford, especially when you consider our population compared to the other counties in the district. I’ve got to hand it to the Northern Neck– the people there care enough to support one of their own. God bless them, but they don’t know what they’ve done. In particular, they don’t know what they’ve done to Stafford County (not that they care, they have their own issues to deal with and fight for). But we in Stafford have serious issues that REQUIRE strong advocacy for our county in the State Senate. Let’s take transportation as an example. I came away from the Stafford Candidate Forum convinced that Richard Stuart has never spent a day of his life in traffic (in Stafford or on the beltway) and that he doesn’t understand how desperate our traffic situation is.
Richard Stuart will NOT look out for Stafford’s interests. He will NOT look out for the Republican agenda. And I refuse to believe that the people who were casting their votes for him at the polls thought that he would. They were there in support of Sen Chichester and Del Howell. They were NOT there because of the candidate they elected.
I didn’t sign the pledge, so I couldn’t vote, and I guess you could say that makes me partly responsible for the outcome. But even though this was a very poorly advertised election, I WANTED to vote, I made every ATTEMPT to vote, but MY PARTY put me in a position where I’d be forced to compromise my own value system in the worst case scenario. And make no mistake about it, this is a worst case scenario.
I know this sounds like sour grapes, but I don’t represent any one candidate or campaign. I’d prefer ANY of the other three over Stuart. He was the only reason I couldn’t sign that pledge. I’d have had no difficulty signing it had it been a three-way race of the Stafford candidates. And I know people on here (Kelly, James A. Bowen, Semper Fi, Dirk) will probably say, “it’s over, move forward.” But how can I? And how can you? I thought you all supported your candidate? Why the 180? This isn’t (or shouldn’t be) about supporting someone just because they have an “R” after their name. It should be about supporting someone because you believe in what they stand for! In my opinion, putting someone like Stuart on the ballot diminishes the impact of that “R”. Soon, candidates will say they’re Republicans, and people will have to start asking them, “What is your position on traditional marriage?” I remember the days when that wasn’t even a question you’d have to ask a Republican. What is our party coming to? I hear the new chair of the Stafford GOP is going to be elected next week. I’m very interested to see how much support he (or she) ends up offering a candidate who can’t uphold even the most basic tenants of the platform.
How about this for an idea. The vote is now SPLIT between Pollard and Stuart. Why not encourage one of the other candidates who ran to throw their hat in as an independent? At least we know we can trust them to defend the issues they ran on. And I would encourage any of the Republicans who supported those candidates to support them should they choose to run as independents. If I were you, especially if I were elected to my position, I would not want it on my resume that I actively supported a guy who went against nearly every core value of my party.
I have been disappointed in the Republican party for years now. Not just at the federal level, but also at the state level. I was really excited about the possibility of taking our party back. I believe that we just sacrificed it with this latest insane outcome. I’m ready to switch parties, and I will if an independent candidate steps up who represents the values I hold dear.
Please offer me another option come November. Someone please step out as a conservative independent. You might actually have a chance given the NN split.
refusedtosign aka Dan Smollen (Stafford Democratic Committee Chair)
I support the candidate who’s views most closely reflects my own and while I may not agree with Richard Stuart on everything, I believe his views are closer to mine than are Mr. Pollards. I have to hand it to you, trying to get one of the others to split the vote in November so that your candidate will win, would be clever. If you like Pollard that is your choice.
Agreed Semper fi. Both Van Hoy and Myers came out immediately for Stuart. The party is united behind Stuart. Dems only hope is to try and split us. Good luck on trying to get either Van Hoy or Myers to go back on their endorsements of Stuart and run against him.
Mr. ineffective (post #17) – there actually is an independent in the race with Howell. I’ve got no clue what this guy is all about, but Craig Ennis is his name. Apparently he tried to run in the U.S. Senate race last year as a write-in. Don’t know if he is the Levi Levy of Stafford/Fredericksburg or what his deal is, but he’s looking like a perpetual candidate.
Oh come on, refused. As you alluded to in your post, unity wins elections. Regardless of which candidate we supported before the election, we don’t want to hand this over to the dems. Any independent who runs would #1 *lose* and #2 take votes away from the party he represented. And Myers is a man of his word. He would never retract his support of Stuart, and I expect that Van Hoy would feel the same way. The party will unite in support of Stuart, as it always does for the candidate it elects, and I’m sure each of the chairs of the 28th district GOPs will make sure they voice their locality’s concerns to Stuart throughout the election and also after he wins in November. You will not go without representation.
Kelly
refused is a dem looking to split the vote. pretty smart of them
I agree with Refused. I am running Dirk’s campaign for state senate in November as a Republican, making him the only Republican in the race. Wait, if Dirk is Joe’s alter ego, he technically didn’t sign the pledge, so is he eligible?
Just having a little fun. I fully pledge my support to Richard Pollard. It is important we have a guy with an “R” next to his name in the state senate, especially since he is identical to the guy with the D next to his name. Of course, he also gave money to the D the last time the D ran for office.
All joking aside, can someone please explain how the R and the D differ in this race? Perhaps it is the prism of Stafford I am looking through, but I can’t tell them apart.
As conservatives, wouldn’t it be better to let Pollard have the seat and take another shot at a conservative winning in 4 years rather than be stuck with Stuart for 30? If he wins, four years from now we’ll be once again told by the party, like we are now, we must fall in line, must support the incumbent, must rally around our senator. Well folks, 30 years of that is long enough. My guess is, conservatives will not lift a finger this fall. This is one time where doing nothing is the best thing we can do.
Have a wonderful day.
I am really having to find this almost amusing. Let’s look at some statistics:
1. Stafford County votes, 1106 or 43% of total
Van Hoy, 322 votes = 32%
Myers, 309 votes = 31%
Stuart, 249 votes = 25% (he even carried South Stafford by 3 votes over Van Hoy).
Graziono, 216 votes = 21%
Northern Neck Counties: 1107 votes or 43%
Stuart: 746 votes or 67%
Van Hoy, 228 votes or 21%
Myers, 91 votes or 8%
Graziano, 42 votes or 4%
King George County: 209 votes or 7% of the total
Van Hoy, 85 votes
Stuart, 65 votes
Myers, 35 votes
Graziano, 27 votes
Fauquier, 174 votes or 7% of total (roughly)
Van Hoy, 82 votes
Stuart, 65 votes
Myers, 35 votes
Graziano, 13 votes
We all know that Van Hoy ran away here leaving the others in the dust. But that isn’t really where the battleground was.
What these numbers tell is that Stuart won 5 of the 8 polling places. He came in King George, 3rd in North Stafford, and last in Fauquier.
I am from Lancaster County so I was naturally inclined to support Stuart. But not just for that reason. He is the only who sent mail (and I got enough of it from all of them!) who could manage to talk about issues other than guns, abortion and gays. I am so sick that tired old song. I don’t know why the “Christian Right” who is fired up on those 3 issues at the expense of every other issue facing our society. I am never going to have an abortion, and I am never going to have a gay marriage, and I don’t own a gun. I am generally sympathetic to the GOP side of these issues, but not always. The world is not black and white. And I reluctant of any candidate of either party who says “I will never…” this or that, fill in the issue du jour.
Speaking now as former state legislator from another state for 3 terms (and I had my share of tough campaigns, both primaries and generals) once in office you have to LEAD. Decisions have to be made. The world of governance is not confined to guns, abortion and gay marriage. Stuart was the only talking about those issues. ANd I suppose his message resonated with a good many like-minded Republicans given his vote totals, and having gotten into the race so late.
Just goes to show the importance of getting out your base. That’s how campaigns are won. I read here that some of the purists would just sit home on election day and do nothing. And that makes you a “good Republican?” OK, just take your marbles and go home. The rest of us will go along and help Richard Stuart and have a good state senator in Richmond. It would be great to say after the General that a Republican can win without your litmus-test demands and votes. I would think this election might have given you pause to ponder how you want to open up the Party instead of shutting people out of it. Unless you enjoy losing elections and governing, in which case I have to wonder why you are in politics to start with.
I’d better edit the above before someone pounces on my error about Fauquier County. The there ws a total of 174 votes as follows:
Van Hoy, 134 votes
Graziano, 21 votes
Myers, 11 votes
Stuart, 8 votes
I was correct though in stating that this is the only polling place where Stuart came in last.
Semper Fi: I can assure you that I am NOT a democrat. I am a Republican through and through, and it makes me physically sick to think of someone like Stuart representing me in Richmond. I don’t understand how someone who was so obviously a Myers supporter (or Van Hoy / Graziano supporter, but we’re talking about you now) could turn on his heel the moment the results were announced to support someone whose ideals are so completely opposite his favored candidate. Are you telling me that if Myers decided to throw his name in as an independent, you would still support Stuart? If that’s the case, promise me YOU won’t decide to run as an independent, because we don’t need someone in office who flip-flops on issues as important as tax and spending, immigration, the sanctity of life, and traditional family values. By lending Stuart your support, you are supporting his platform. And his platform is ANYTHING BUT CONSERVATIVE.
No one is answering my questions– you’re just attacking me for standing up for our party– but I’ll ask another one anyway. Why would any Republican entity (be it voter, candidate, elected official, or party) actively support someone who is openly pro-choice, pro-tax, uninterested in fighting illegal immigration, and has no interest in protecting the traditional family unit? Have the values of our party changed while no one was looking? If so, please put the word out so I can get my name removed from the GOP mailing list.
Fortunately, most people appear to be supporters in name only (SINOs) at this juncture, and I’m hoping that the Republicans in Stafford/Fauquier/Fredericksburg come to their senses and fight this attempt to disenfranchise republicans in the northern district. It’s OKAY to say you made a mistake. If people ask why the change of heart, the answer is easy if you’re from this area: Your first loyalty is to the party and its people, and though voters across the 28th selected Stuart overall, voters in Stafford / Fauquier / and Fredericksburg sent a message loud and clear that they want to send someone from Stafford to Richmond. As residents of the northern part of the district, we have an obligation to stand up for ourselves. It’s obvious that no one else will, not even those we elected to protect us in the first place.
Yes, I was alluding to the fact that unity wins elections. It DOES. But your sense of unity is misguided. You don’t unite behind a person who you don’t believe in. You can’t tell me that you “believe in” Stuart, can you??? Or is this one of those “Hate the sin, love the sinner” things? This isn’t the military– this is a democracy. We have the right to say, “That’s not right” and to do something about it! I’m telling you, RICHARD STUART WILL NOT WIN THIS ELECTION. REPUBLICANS DON’T LIKE HIM, AND THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED HIM IN DID SO OUT OF HOMETOWN LOYALTY, NOT BECAUSE HE’S A RESPECTABLE CANDIDATE. With Pollard on the ballot now against Stuart, Northern Neckers aren’t and won’t be united. Everyone down there likes Pollard more than Stuart. He will not win the Northern Neck, and he WILL need Stafford behind him to win. Sure, we can get behind him and force him to Richmond, but to what end? What Republican values does he have that the Republican Party needs to have in Richmond? Are we our own worst enemy?
Listen boys and girls, this is an IMPORTANT SEAT that we won’t get a chance to change for FOUR YEARS. The RINOS stole the election from true Republicans AND Stafford Coutnty residents on Saturday, so LET’S TAKE BACK OUR PARTY. Look at the results– we would have had a good republican in the seat if it were only Stafford that counted. Van Hoy and Myers both had strong showings, and I think they would again. It’s time for STAFFORD TO UNITE and make sure we have reliable representation in Richmond. I think we can do it. Even Stafford Democrats would have to understand that their purposes are better served if they have a state senator from their own town representing them in Richmond.
Virginia Virtucon– I’m disappointed. When you made an endorsement in this race before the primary, it appeared Richard Stuart was your last choice for numerous reasons. Why the decision to support him now? Just because he was able to get the Northern Neck to turn out for him? Stuart didn’t even take second place in Stafford OR Fauquier. Additionally, Sen Chichester is still backing him, and from everything I’ve seen, Stuart hasn’t indicated that he has any positions that differ from Chichester’s. Why not just withhold an endorsement? How can you in good conscience post Stuart’s banner on your site when he goes against everything this blog has lobbied against? I say you lobby Van Hoy, Myers, or Graziano to run as an indpendent, if there’s still time. All of them have name recognition in Stafford now, and because they were the only true conservatives in the primary, it’s almost certain their supporters will support anyone EXCEPT for Richard Stuart.
There are big challenges to this plan, I don’t pretend that there aren’t. Stuart and Pollard will split the Northern Neck, and an independent may garner SOME votes there, but not enough to make a big dent in that part of the district. What we need to do is turn out the vote in Fauquier, Stafford, and Fredericksburg. Make sure people understand how important it is that their state senator come from this part of the district, or else their problems will fall to someone who doesn’t put those problems first and will leave it to the localities to shoulder the burden themselves. STAFFORD UNITED can win this election. We CAN take back the party from the RINOs who are trying to steal it, and make sure our region is represented in the state senate.
One thing, Persisto. I am aware of a thing called voter apathy. That can kill an election, as it did this last weekend. But the ramp up time was all wrong, and then you had a candidate blanketing Stafford voters at the last minute with automated phone calls telling them to go to the wrong locations at the wrong times to cast their ballots. I saw a reference to that on the Stafford GOP blog, and since then, I’ve heard a couple of other friends from church say they got similiar calls. The only thing that can kill this pitch for an independent candidate is voter apathy. And it’s our job as Republicans to get the word out and make sure people know what will happen to them if they sit this one out or mark a person’s name just because it happens to have an R next to it.
This is my last post.
RTS, we had real questions about Stuart, but he is the nominee and has made public statements that he is pro-life, pro-tax cuts and conservative. We will take him at his word until such time as we have cause to doubt that — a time that I hope does not ever come.
RefusetoSign. I think your monikor says it all. You didn’t even vote, yet complain about apathy!
I could go on but since you will never post here again, it isn’t worth the bother.
Sinner, Burn-in-Hell Northern Neck Republican Who Voted For Stuart
Refused,
You are so full of hot air that I can not easily attempt to answer all without giving up my day job. However, let me spell this out for you.
November, whoever (party) wins this district will control redistricting in 2011. If an independent republican jumps into this race the dems will win. If the dems win and redistrict VA, Republicans will lose two congressional seats while the dems will pick up two. A vote for other than Staurt is a vote for SPEAKER PELOSI. I do not share her values so [pardon me if i do not subscribe to your suicide path.
Please go back to the democratic blog where they like you
Semper Fi–so well said. This guy does not get it. I just love being told that since I am from the Northern Neck I am not a “real” Republican. I cut my political teeth on Republican politics and I am not going to sit here and run my mouth about how many positions in the GOP and state legislature and various campaigns I have managed for others, but to be told that I am not a “real” Republican makes my skin crawl. I VOTED. He did not. Thanks for rally around the Party. You have just iterated one very important reason to support Stuart. (I was the the Republican Co-Chairman of the Redistricting Committee in the Missouri House in 1991-1992. You are darned right this is important!. That is one of the annals of my past that will earn its own chapter in my biography–like I’m ever going to write it. It got so deep that I even had a bunch of Dems voting for our GOP plan and WON! In a chamber which at the time was like 101-44 in their favor. My DEM counterpart was so inept and not even listening to his own party, that our plan won ON A FLOOR VOTE. And it wasn’t even close.
The next day, when the shock and embarrassment had sunk in for them, Jim Talent (then GOP Leader) made me take it all back and let him (the DEM) present our plan as his own plan, but it was our plan nonetheless, so we let him have his little day in the sun. We won. And that’s what counts. Not who gets credit. And we picked up 2 seats in Congress. This doesn’t even go into the state House and state Senate district, which the GOP now controls. God, it was fun. And that is how you play the game! And now we control the policy, which is the ultimate objective. And public policy covers a vast array of issues, not just a few litmust test issues. I don’t really think most self-described “Christian Conservatives” define themselves solely in terms of straight-jacket opinions and consider themselves confined to only 3 social issues. We are all inhabitants of this planet, and hopefully we all have concerns, interests, ideas and proposals for a variety of the issues facing the entire society that are deserving of thoughtful consideration despite our own personal religious, moral or philosophical opinions. In a functioning democratic republic, it the give-and-take, the plurarlity, and the good of the whole that should hold sway. Not a tyranny of the minority. That is why religion should be checked in at the door when entering the political arena. That is not to say that one’s moral compass or direction is checked in at the door. But one must also agree to listen to others ideas and viewpoints. This is how a just society is created. IMO.
Persisto, to be accurate, Stuart lost in North Stafford as well, but did very well in South Stafford where Bill Howell was flesh pressing for him. Even then, he only won by 2 votes over VanHoy.
Just goes to show what good advocates can do for your campaign. He had no one in N Stafford. It isn’t accurate to lump the county together as one poll. They are 20 miles apart and each had other counties voting in it too.
N. Stafford
Myers 181 votes
Graziano 154 votes
VanHoy 143 votes
Stuart 68 votes
I wouldn’t be so quick to jump all over Refused. His sentiment is not unique to Republicans in our area, and his points are not extreme. Many people within our party will need to examine whether they want to be on the winning side or the right side. It’s great when the two coincide of course, because you can sleep knowing you voted with your beliefs and have someone to share them. It’s not so great when you voted for Mark Foley and let your teenage son work for him for the summer before (for example).
Let’s hope there are many reasons to NOT vote for Pollard and even more reasons that become known to vote FOR Stuart. For right now, all that’s said about him is that his fiscal principals are in line with Chichesters, and that’s not a good thing. He comepletely flip-flopped on the Abortion question as well, and has a long way to go to have a grasp of Stafford’s needs like roads and school funding for starters. If he works hard, he’ll earn my vote, but not because he has an R before his name.
You haven’t controlled my every thought yet, sorry. I’m still a free-thinker.
As to the mailers’ quality- you must be kidding me. Both his mailers and web site were void of any original thought and any plan whatsoever. He simply reitterated what the other 3 were saying for weeks in their mailers, in some cases verbatim. He pandered completely, and if you can’t admit that then you must not have read everyone elses mailers that came in before his. That’s fine, but let’s not make the guy out to be a thinker or an original just yet until some real meat gets on those statements.
Chichester didn’t run again, because there was no way he’d win and I believe he knew it. After voting for the largest tax increase in history, he also stonewalled the transportation bill single handedly. Let’s not forget he was a democrat first and came over when it served him politically.
And please quit being so fast to label someone a democrat unless you have proof! Nothing Refused is saying is anything but good advice your grandparents would give you like voting for a good caniddate. He’s not apathetic if he didn’t vote. He showed up didn’t he? That’s better than the other 58,000 so-called Republicans in our district that you’re banking on for Stuart in November. NONE of them signed a pledge, and you should remember that. It’s going to take a lot more to get them out of the house in November.
Your complacency will do more harm than his accused apathy.
Insisto:
Right you are. I lumped all of Stafford together as a one entity just as I lump in all of the 4 Northern Neck as one entity, since that seems to be the song of the day. Yes, we could break it down in detail. The point is that the Northern Neck exactly one more voter as a group as did Stafford County as a group.
I agree completely that the different communties have different needs, and I can not see any reason why either Stuart or Pollard would ignore any those issues you have in Stafford County. Or Fauquier County, or King George County. In fact, I am gladdened to see we are now moving the discussion in that general direction.
But to give you an idea of why the NN bands together. I am a volunteer at the Mary Ball Washington Library in Lancaster. Just this past 2 weeks, a lady from Fredericksburg who is writing an article on the mother of Mary Ball came down just chocked full of attitude and platidudes saying how backward and stupid the northern neck was and, quite frankly, she was as rude as hell. Worse, she wouldn’t listen to a word we were trying to say, much less how much we were trying to help her if she’d just shut up for one minute! Now you may understand why we band together. And heck! I’m a come here!
Goodness. We are all in this together. I agree 100% that any candidate from either party had better give a good rats-ass about Stafford County. What sane candidate would not? It’s quite a unique area. But he or she also needs to care about the Northern Neck, King George and Faquier County too. More importantly, Virginia at large.
The current other candidate for the seat currently held by Howell is not a serious candidate.
Please someone step forward as we need a change
I agree with you, #34 poster.
Howell needs to go just for the mere fact that he sold out his own party in his own town. Did anyone notice that he LOST his own county to two of the other candidates during the election in the process???
number 34 and 35
disagree he wants to win and so while i disagree that Stuart was the only one who could win (myers would have) i respect the fact that the Speaker was playing for the win. I will vote for him as long as he runs