11/06/2007
Voters headed to the polls across Virginia yesterday, Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the culmination of a competitive and expensive 2007 election season. In the biggest news of the day, Democrats gained control of the state Senate by picking up the four seats they needed for a majority of 21-19. This exchange of power ends a decade-long GOP hold of the Senate, and is considered a victory for advancing the agenda of Gov. Tim M. Kaine in the state. State Sen. Richard L. Saslaw will probably become majority leader and will most likely also chair the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.
We worked extensively during these elections to reach out to members and non-members about the power and importance of the small-business vote. By sending numerous types of communications about voter resources and registration and general election education, we demonstrated our support for candidates that were true leaders for small-business and not based on any party affiliation or partisan politics.
In the House of Delegates, the Republican Party retained its control, but Democrats picked up four seats, two in each of the rapidly changing regions of northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, where many of the year’s most contentious races took place. However, Republicans still hold either a seven or eight seat majority in the House.
Many races throughout the state were extremely close and a few may head to a recount, with one of the races being in State Senate District 37. With 100 percent of the votes counted, Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II holds a slim 91-vote lead over Janet S. Oleszek, and early in the morning of Nov. 6, he sent an e-mail to his supporters appealing for help in a possible recount. As of this morning, neither side has conceded defeat or claimed victory.
NFIB/Virginia-endorsed candidates saw many victories. As mentioned, our political support was based solely on each candidate’s position and record on small-business issues. In the Senate races, the NFIB/Virginia SAFE Trust endorsed 14 candidates in all, and of these, 11 won, including a key victory in District 13 (Fred Quayle). The only losses were in three tightly contested races: Districts 6 (Nick Rerras), 34 (Jeannemarie Devolites Davis) and 39 (Jay O’Brien), giving NFIB a record of 80 percent. In the House, NFIB/Virginia came out with a 93 percent record, as a total of 14 candidates won out of an endorsed 15 candidates. The only loss was in District 34, an open seat race in which Dave Hunt was endorsed.
