Lots of news and movement lately in two key House districts in the Roanoke and Lynchburg area.
In Roanoke, in the 17th House District, things were rattled loose by Republican Delegate William Fralin's sudden retirement from politics. This opened a possibility for Democrats they didn't expect to have.
On Monday, Roanoke City Council member Gwen Mason will announce her candidacy. Her colleague on council, Dr. David Trinkle, is still thinking about running. Yet another council member, Court Rosen, thought about it, too, but opted out. Rich Cranwell's name has also been mentioned, but it doesn't appear he will make the race, either.
Even the son of Vic Thomas, the late delegate who held the seat for so long, is apparently considering the race. Another week or so should tell whether Mason will have a battle on her hands or face no opposition in getting the nomination on the June 9 primary ballot.
I have to say, even as one who lives in this district, while it's great that Democrats can at least make the GOP sweat and spend some money, this is likely to be a difficult seat to pick up. If Republicans can nominate someone in the mold of Fralin - who was basically a moderate and very responsible legislator - that person would have to be the favorite to keep the seat.
Nevertheless, I could be happy with either Mason or Trinkle as the nominee. It would at least be good to have a strong Democrat to vote for in November....
In the 11th district, currently held by Democratic Delegate Onzlee Ware, some opposition has arisen for the primary. But Onzlee probably doesn't have too much to worry about. His opponent will be Martin Jeffrey, who has had a somewhat schizophrenic existence in Roanoke area politics.
For example, in 2004, Mr. Jeffrey showed up on the very day of the Sixth District Democratic Convention in Lexington and told all of us there that he wanted to be the party's congressional candidate. Mind you, he hadn't campaigned previously or given any public indication that he wanted to run.....it was more than a bit bizarre. I was on the committee then. The late David Layman, being the gentleman he was, suggested that we give Mr. Jeffrey a hearing. So we did. At some point, he said that even if we didn't nominate him he'd run as an independent. I think we were all thinking the same thing at that point: Let's wrap this up quickly so we can all go home.....Mr. Jeffrey was not nominated.
Onzlee Ware has done his job as a delegate, and most Democrats won't have any reason to replace him as the nominee.
In Lynchburg, in the 22nd district (I think....), two Republicans hope to challenge Del. Shannon Valentine in the fall. One, Jeff Helgeson, is what you might call a Liberty University conservative...and we all know what that means, right? The other is Dr. Scott Garrett, who serves with Helgeson on the city council.
If memory serves, it was Garrett who got the most votes in the 2007 council election, when he ran as an independent. But are there enough more-or-less moderates in the Lynchburg GOP to nominate him? If not, they'll go for the ideological bomb-thrower, which is Helgeson. That means they'll also probably lose, too.
Given that Valentine has basically the same support that always elected Preston Bryant to that seat - meaning moderates from both parties - she will surely be the favorite in the fall. Some Lynchburg Democrats cringe at a few of her votes in the legislature (especially the ones regarding legal abortion rights), but they're proud that she holds the seat and they won't lose it without a fight.
In the middle of the area between Lynchburg and Roanoke is, well.....Bedford, my hometown and "my personal Mayberry," if you will. Bedford is the fiefdom of the very powerful Delegate Lacey Putney. Hopefully, Democrats won't again put up the kind of weak candidate they offered two years ago, because it was a waste of time then and would be a waste of time now. Nobody will ever beat Putney. Period.
Stay tuned.....
0 comments:
Post a Comment