Big win notwithstanding, Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell will start his administration hampered by a slashed state budget, a politically divided legislature and a sour economy. Less than 24 hours after he was elected Virginia’s 71st governor, McDonnell acknowledged that he will face tough economic times when he takes office Jan. 16.

Virginia Republicans gained at least five seats in Tuesday’s elections for the House of Delegates, boosting Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell ahead of his first General Assembly session. The 21st District race remains too close to call. Republican challenger Ronald A. Villanueva, a member of the Virginia Beach City Council, leads Del. Robert W. Mathieson, D-Virginia Beach, by 16 votes out of more than 15,300 cast.

Republicans last night were well on their way to increasing their control of the Virginia House of Delegates. Heading into the election yesterday, Republicans held 53 seats and Democrats held 45. Two independents generally vote with the Republicans. Last night, it appeared that Republicans had a net gain of at least three seats and that three other races involving Democratic incumbents were too close to call.

Q. What’s on the ballot?
  A. Voters statewide will elect a governor, a lieutenant governor and an attorney general. All 100 House of Delegates seats are up for election, but only 69 are contested. State senators are not on the ballot until 2011.
  Q. What else is on the ballot?
  A. It varies by locality. Part of Richmond will select a City Council member in the 7th District. Hopewell will elect a commonwealth’s attorney; Petersburg will elect a sheriff; Colonial Heights will elect a commissioner of the revenue.

Central Virginia covers about 15 districts in the House of Delegates. Over the years, few have proved competitive. Republicans and Democrats enjoy electoral locks in constituencies designed to suit the interests not of citizens but of politicians. The parties seldom challenge each other. When races occur, the general election results are not close. Nomination in the spring usually translates into victory in the fall.

Control of the House of Delegates might come down to a handful of heavyweight bouts, several of which are nearing $1 million in cash raised. Committees affiliated with the state parties and with legislative leaders are placing their bets, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to promising challengers in marquee matchups, according to reports compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.

Fifteen Richmond-area candidates for the House of Delegates will take part in a two-hour forum tomorrow night airing on WCVE (88.9 FM) public radio. The candidates will respond to questions submitted by participating organizations during the forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Leadership Metro Richmond, the Partnership for Housing Affordability and the Richmond First Club.

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.

The Republican incumbent in a hotly contested House of Delegates race in Henrico County is rejecting charges by his challenger that he opposes emergency contraceptives for rape victims. “That my opponent continues to make false claims about my record is disappointing,“ said Del. John M. O’Bannon III, R-Henrico. He is seeking a sixth term in the 73rd District, which includes portions of Henrico and Richmond.

Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Henrico, is pedaling a 74-mile path through the 74th district to kick off his re-election campaign. The former Richmond commonwealth’s attorney, a Democrat who quickly became one of the House of Delegates’ more outspoken members, is seeking a second term representing a district that covers Charles City County and parts of Henrico County, Richmond, Prince George County and Hopewell.

The latest campaign-finance reports show the power of incumbency. In local contests for the House of Delegates, incumbents carry large cash advantages over their challengers. Del. John M. O’Bannon III, R-Henrico, reported having $175,248 in the bank as of June 30—a hefty lead over his Democratic challenger in the 73rd District, Tom Shields, who reported $46,615.

The major political parties are competing for 58 House of Delegates seats this fall—an increase from recent election cycles. An unofficial tally by the Virginia Public Access Project shows 68 of the 100 seats will be contested, up from 41 in 2007 and 49 in 2005. But 10 of this year’s contests involve a major-party candidate running against an independent. Independents generally have little chance of beating a major-party incumbent.

District 17
30 of 30 precincts
22 of 22 precincts
28 of 28 precincts
District 11
25 of 25 precincts
26 of 26 precincts
19 of 19 precincts
21 of 21 precincts
22 of 22 precincts
19 of 19 precincts
23 of 23 precincts
26 of 26 precincts
21 of 21 precincts
SOURCE: AP

Recent History Terry McAuliffe—Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former head of the Democratic National Committee, and former director of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign—says Republicans in the House of Delegates are not bipartisan enough. McAuliffe castigates them for thwarting Gov. Tim Kaine’s demand for higher road taxes and bigger unemployment benefits. “I’ve got to have a House of Delegates that agrees with me on these big issues,“ he says. But House Republicans “are impossible to deal with.“ Really?

Terry McAuliffe is raising the stakes in his Democratic bid for governor, pledging to drive Republicans from their last stronghold of power in the House of Delegates. “I’ve got to have a House of Delegates that agrees with me on these big issues,“ McAuliffe said at town-hall-type meeting last night in Richmond’s Ginter Park with about 70 supporters.