Special Election: January 12, 2010
Governor Tim Kaine has set Tuesday, January 12, 2010 as the date for voters in the 37th Senatorial District and the 8th Senatorial District to decide who will take the place of Senator Ken Cuccinelli and Senator Ken Stolle, respectively.
In a firehouse primary on December 1st, Republicans in the 37th District chose defense contractor Steve Hunt to run against Democratic Delegate Dave Marsden in the Special Election. Hunt secured twice as many votes as Marianne Horinko and Will Nance - the other two candidates competing for the nomination. A major contributor to his overwhelming victory is that many felt Hunt stood out as the best candidate to appeal to GOP grass-roots activists. This trait will prove invaluable in defeating the Democratic Party's candidate on January 12th.
Republicans in the 8th District will have to wait until Saturday, December 5th, to find out who will be carrying their banner in the Special Election to replace Senator Ken Stolle, who was elected Virginia Beach's sheriff last month. There are two choices in this contest: Rosemary Wilson, a former School Board member who was recently elected to her third term on the City Council and Jeff McWaters, an accountant who served as a regional coordinator for Bob McDonnell's campaign and works closely with Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. Wilson enjoys the advantage of already being an elected official with a voter base, but McWaters has had the privilege of being officially endorsed by the outgoing senator, Ken Stolle, and the Virginian-Pilot. Since no Democrat has filed to run in this district, whoever wins a majority of the votes on December 5th will likely be the next senator.