The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Retired businessman Jeff McWaters handily defeated Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson on Saturday in a Republican primary to replace outgoing state Sen. Kenneth Stolle.
McWaters, 53, will be on the ballot for the Jan. 12 special election and might be all alone. Democrats are not expected to field a candidate but have until Friday to register one. No independent candidates have signed up.
Pumping his fist after the votes were tallied, McWaters told supporters gathered at the VB Homes Design Center on Laskin Road, "You believed in me, and I appreciate it, and with God's help I will not let you down."
He said he's looking forward to working on job creation and transportation issues.
"I can't wait to get on the phone with Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling and say, 'What can I do?' "
McWaters, making his first run for public office, got 4,775 votes. Wilson got 2,815.
"I'm certainly going to be supporting Jeff in all his endeavors, and he and I will work together," said Wilson, who has three years remaining on her third City Council term.
As expected for a party canvass, turnout was low. About 6.5 percent of registered voters in the 8th Senate District voted. The district encompasses eastern Virginia Beach.
A crush of voters at the Virginia Beach Christian Church on North Great Neck Road overwhelmed poll workers set up in a small Sunday school classroom, creating an hour wait for hundreds of voters.
McWaters, retired CEO and founder of Amerigroup Corp., campaigned on job creation, touting his business background. He weathered attacks from Wilson on statements he made about favoring mandatory health insurance.
Waters, a prolific Republican party donor, held the financial edge in the race, putting up at least $50,000 of his own money. He also got the support of Stolle, who held the seat for 18 years before being elected sheriff last month, and Mayor Will Sessoms.
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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PENCILS
Volunteers should not have provided pencils for the voters. Pencils should be banned from elections!
PENCILS
PENCILS should not have been used to cast the vote. That is not correct!
pencils
O my goodness. The polls were messed up. The volunteers there actually provided PENCILS - that is crazy out of this world insane. In the future they ought to use only pens and ought to stick to the correct hours of operation. Hopefully all works out for the best.
20,000 jobs created or "retained"
I knew Ms. Wilson was in trouble when she used the BHO line of 20,000 jobs "created or retained".
The GOP needs to elect people that can get in there and DO the job and not rely on any of this crappy math.
Pencils
Why did the poll volunteers provide pencils?
There needs to be an alternative from the Independents!
"As expected for a party canvass, turnout was low. About 6.5 percent of registered voters in the 8th Senate District voted."
This is why parties can be hijacked. Low turnout breeds radicals on both sides.
The GOP in this district needs some competition.
Reid Greemun, you up for this one?
TLP looked for a candidate for a long time - no takers
Sure, I could run - but without an organization capable of supporting a very short race, what good would it it do? Had the TLP been better positioned, perhaps. I am surprised that the Democratic Party is not fielding a candidate. They have the money, the people, and the organization. Interesting that they are not ...
Look at me I have lots of shameless money
I hope he runs his term like he runs his old business Amerigroup "screw the poor and pregnant".
Come again?
Interesting post - "...I have lots of shameless money." What is your point? You must be one of those 'anyone with more than me is an evil, cheating, undeserving pig.' As for the cowardly reference to the lawsuit - check your facts. The decision not to allow patients to switch their OB in the third tri-mester was a request from the States - not a unilateral decision by Ameri-Group. This is why the lawsuit was unsuccesful.
The lawsuit was successful.
The lawsuit was successful. They had to pay close to $200 million in damages and "The jury found that between April 2000 and July 2003 Amerigroup made 18,130 false claims against Medicaid _ a state administered program for low-income patients that is subsidized by the federal government."
Amerigroup argued that the states requested it, but the court found differently:
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2007/03/15/77757.htm