House of Delegates control up for grabs

The candidates for governor are getting the attention, but on Nov. 3, Virginia's voters will make another critical decision -- about which party controls the House of Delegates.

The battle for the majority will do much to determine whether the next governor gets his way on transportation funding, taxes and budget cuts. It's also important because the General Assembly will redraw legislative and congressional districts after the 2010 census.

Republicans now hold 53 House seats, Democrats 45. Two independents generally vote with the Republicans. Democrats, who hold the majority in the state Senate, need to gain six seats to take control of the House.

All 100 House seats will be on the ballot Nov. 3. While there are contests for 71 seats, fewer appear competitive. Turn to Page A11 for a look at 10 key races.

Here's a look at 10 contests for the House of Delegates that both parties think could be particularly competitive on Nov. 3.

Central Virginia 69th District -- parts of Richmond and Chesterfield County

Democrat Betsy B. Carr, independent L. Shirley Harvey and Republican Ernesto V. Sampson Jr. are competing for the seat vacated by Franklin P. Hall, a Democrat who retired and accepted a seat on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.

Hall, who had served in the House since 1976, crushed his most recent GOP challenger in 2007, winning 82 percent of the vote.

But Republicans think they have a chance this time. Sampson, a financial adviser, is an African-American who is running in a majority-black district. The graduate of Virginia Military Institute is campaigning on promoting jobs and better schools.

Carr is a more familiar name in the community through her 5th District seat on the Richmond School Board and her work as outreach director at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond. She won her party's nomination in June in a three-way primary.

In her door-to-door district tour, Carr says she wants to use her experience on the School Board and in her community work at the state level.

"Schools and jobs, transportation is an issue, safe and secure neighborhoods," she said.

Harvey, a former Richmond city councilwoman, ran against Hall for this House seat in 2005. She said she's "the person who can represent anyone" as an independent.

"I don't have any political ties," said Harvey, a former accountant. "So I'm right in the right place at the right time because we have got to do something about overspending, and we've got to stop playing games with the people in this city."

Sampson's message focuses on improving schools, bringing more jobs to the area and making the district business-friendly.

"It's not about the party; it's about the people of the district," he said. "Once we talk to people, they've been very receptive and seeing past Republican versus Democrat."

73rd District -- parts of Henrico County and Richmond

The battle between Del. John M. O'Bannon III, R-Henrico, and his Democratic challenger, Tom J. Shields, is heating up.

Shields is targeting O'Bannon's record in the House through glossy campaign mail pieces, trying to paint him as "part of the herd" and more interested in politics than representing his constituents.

O'Bannon's team has fired back, accusing Shields of going negative while he criticizes O'Bannon for partisanship.

Shields is administrator of a leadership program at the University of Richmond. O'Bannon, a physician, is seeking a sixth term.

One of the central debates in the campaign involves O'Bannon's vote on a budget amendment that would have accelerated a $14 million grant to now-bankrupt Qimonda AG.

O'Bannon voted against the measure. He has said that had the amendment been approved, the $14 million would not have been allocated until after Qimonda had filed for bankruptcy. He says that might have tied up the money in a bankruptcy court in Munich.

Shields maintains that the vote cost Henrico County 2,700 jobs.

The contest ranked ninth among all House races in cash raised from Jan. 1, 2008, through Aug. 31. Shields raised $43,382 in July and August -- the most recent reporting period -- giving him $48,783 on hand heading into September.

O'Bannon brought in $84,460 in the same period, leaving him with $202,819 on hand.

Southside 14th District -- parts of Danville and Henry and Pittsylvania counties

Del. Daniel W. Marshall III, R-Danville, is trying to fend off a challenge from Democrat F. Seward Anderson, who served for 10 years as mayor of Danville.

Both candidates say they are focused on the region's struggling economy. The area faces the state's worst unemployment.

Marshall, the past president of Marshall Concrete Products and a former member of the Danville City Council, has represented the district since 2002. Anderson works in the financial-services industry.

Southwest Virginia 17th District -- parts of Roanoke, Roanoke County and Botetourt County

This seat opened with the surprise retirement of Del. William H. Fralin Jr., a Republican. Fralin, a lawyer, had represented the district since 2004, so political observers initially expected Republicans to hold the seat easily.

However, Democrat Gwen Mason, a member of the Roanoke City Council, has run a spirited campaign against Republican Bill Cleaveland, a Botetourt County lawyer, and made inroads in areas where Fralin traditionally ran well.

Mason is the daughter of U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Williams of Richmond.

Northern Virginia 34th District -- part of Fairfax County

Del. Margaret G. Vanderhye, D-Fairfax, was first elected in 2007, edging Republican David M. Hunt with 51 percent of the vote. Between the two of them, the candidates spent $1.2 million.

Two years later, Vanderhye faces a strong challenge from Republican Barbara J. Comstock of McLean.

Comstock, a lawyer, is co-founder of a public-relations and government-affairs firm. She previously served as a senior aide to Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-10th, as chief counsel to the U.S. House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, and as director of the Office of Public Affairs at the Justice Department.

Vanderhye has served on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the National Capital Planning Commission. She is a former assistant to the National Security Council and research assistant at the Brookings Institution.

District 42 -- part of Fairfax County

Del. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, faces a rematch of his 2005 race in which he edged Democrat Greg A. Werkheiser.

In between the two contests, Albo was a proponent of the unpopular bad-driver fees that were part of the 2007 transportation package that passed the legislature.

Albo, chairman of the Courts of Justice Committee, was first elected in 1993. Democrats are targeting Albo not only because Werkheiser came within 800 votes in 2005 but also because the district is trending Democratic.

Since 2004, Democrats have carried the district in every statewide election and in both presidential elections.

52nd District -- part of Prince William County

This is the seat vacated by Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, who was ousted in April as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. Frederick had served in the seat since 2004.

Democrat Luke Torian, pastor at First Mount Zion Baptist Church, is taking on Republican Rafael Lopez, a native of Bolivia and a former member of the Dumfries Town Council.

Frederick ran successfully in another district that has turned solidly Democratic in statewide and presidential contests. Barack Obama carried the district in November with 63 percent of the vote.

District 86 -- parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties

Del. Thomas Davis Rust, R-Fairfax, is competing with Democratic challenger Stevens R. Miller, a member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

In 2007, Rust spent nearly $750,000 and beat Democrat Jay P. Donahue by fewer than 700 votes out of nearly 12,000 cast.

Rust also was tarred in 2007 with the unpopular abusive-driver fees, which may have faded from memory in 2009.

This is another district in which Democrats have dominated recent state and national elections. But Rust, a member of the House since 2002, is well-known in the area as the longtime former mayor of Herndon.

Hampton Roads District 83 -- part of Virginia Beach

In 2007, Del. Joseph F. Bouchard, D-Virginia Beach, won his seat in a squeaker, beating Republican Chris P. Stolle by 131 votes out of 9,535 cast.

The two U.S. Navy veterans are meeting in a rematch.

Stolle is a physician with an MBA. Bouchard, a retired Navy captain, is director of government sales for Cox Communications.

This time, Republicans hope to pick up votes because Stolle's older brother, state Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, is running for sheriff of Virginia Beach and because GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell formerly hailed from Virginia Beach.

The parties are closely matched in this district, splitting the two most recent presidential elections and the two most recent U.S. Senate contests.

District 93 -- parts of Newport News and James City County

Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, vice chairman of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, has represented the district for 21 years.

But Hamilton is the subject of a legislative probe and a grand-jury investigation. At issue is his role in seeking a job at a teaching center at Old Dominion University before he put in a budget amendment seeking its creation.

Hamilton faces a challenge from Democrat Robin Abbott, a lawyer who is making her first run for office. The district leans Democratic in statewide and presidential elections.