On an education tour of Virginia, Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Jon Bowerbank learned that progress sometimes is measured in big words. Erica Coleman, a University of Richmond graduate mentoring underprivileged children at a learning center, said she knew she had made progress when a fourth-grader, reading at the second-grade level, began referring to reading as “tedious” rather than “boring.“

The state Democratic Party, trying to capture a majority in the House of Delegates and hang on to the governorship this fall, is outraising a state Republican Party already readjusting after its leader’s ouster. Democrats had more than $500,000 cash on hand as of March 31, compared with about $70,000 for the GOP, between state and federal reports.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said yesterday that drilling for oil and gas off the coast of Virginia could bring huge returns for education and transportation in the state. Virginia has the potential to be a major energy supplier on the East Coast, Gingrich said at a news conference. He was in Richmond to promote the candidacy of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who is seeking re-election to that post.

The Democratic Party of Virginia has certified Mike Signer as a candidate for the nomination for lieutenant governor despite the fact that some of his qualifying petitions were in error. This came Tuesday after the State Board of Elections advised C. Richard Cranwell, chairman of the party, that a notary public made the error, not the Signer campaign, so the Signer campaign should not be penalized.

Pat Edmonson will not be a Democratic candidate for the nomination to run for lieutenant governor. The little-known Virginia Beach School Board member failed to file the required 10,000 signatures with the State Board of Elections Friday to get her name on the ballot. Friday was the deadline for filing to be a candidate in the June 9 primary.

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe of McLean will be first on the ballot in the June 9 Democratic gubernatorial primary in Virginia because he was the first to file more than 10,000 signatures yesterday with the State Board of Elections. Former Secretary of Finance Jody Wagner of Virginia Beach will be first among the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor.

The recession is culling the field for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Rich Savage, a Richmond political consultant, announced yesterday that he is quitting the race after three months because he can’t raise enough money. “The worsening economic downturn presents too great a financial hurdle for my campaign to overcome,“ he said in a written statement.

A Democratic political strategist is making the race for lieutenant governor and making education the centerpiece of his campaign.

A Richmond Democrat who makes his living advising candidates may become one—possibly seeking the party’s 2009 nomination for lieutenant governor. “I’m testing the waters for lieutenant governor,“ Rich Savage said. “I’ve been receiving a lot of encouragement and support.“ Savage, the 46-year-old father of twin girls, said that his top concern is public education—“intellectual infrastructure,“ he calls it.