8th District: It's a quick and clean race for political newcomers

VIRGINIA BEACH

When retired businessman Jeff McWaters defeated City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson in last month's Republican canvass for the 8th District state Senate seat, it seemed like the race might be over.

But then Democrat Bill Fleming filed at the last minute to challenge McWaters.

Now, the two are battling in a quick - and so far clean - campaign for the seat vacated by state Sen. Kenneth Stolle, now Virginia Beach's sheriff. Both candidates are making their first bids for public office. The special election is Tuesday.

Fleming, 61, is president of Network Interfaces Corp., a small technology company. He helped run Milcom Systems Corp., a Beach defense technology firm founded by his father, before the business was sold.

McWaters, 53, is the former CEO and founder of Amerigroup Corp., a managed health care company, and a longtime GOP donor. He's campaigned aggressively since May, running mainly on a job creation platform while raising money and attracting high-profile endorsements. Of the $705,000 he raised for the campaign, $450,000 was his own money, according to campaign finance reports.

Fleming kicked off his campaign on Dec. 29 - two weeks before Election Day - in front of about 20 people in a small hotel conference room. He said he wasn't going to talk about "issues," instead referring people to his Web site. He said his plan for winning is to get Democrats to the polls. Citing private Democratic Party data, he said there are more Democrats than Republicans in the 8th District. He's not putting up campaign signs.

"We know who we need to talk to," he said. "The issue is getting them out to vote."

Fleming's Web site lists 15 topics under issues. They include jobs, education, transportation, families, respect for employees, and pedestrian and bicycling safety.

He said that, if elected, he'd work to free up stimulus money for roads and get more transportation money for the region.

"Hampton Roads needs to get its fair share of the budget," he said. "We have too much going to Northern Virginia."

He said he'd be an advocate for public education.

"I have a feeling Bob McDonnell is going to make deeper cuts in education, and I want to help protect it," he said.

Of the $20,995 Fleming raised for his campaign, $20,250 is his own money.

As in his race against Wilson, McWaters stressed his experience as a businessman.

"I know what it takes," he said. "It's really vital we work with small businesses and local entrepreneurs to help them with financing."

He said getting the region to unite behind a major transportation project, either a new U.S. 460 or Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, is important.

"We have to pick one of those," he said.

As a short-term traffic solution, McWaters said, he'd look at ways to better use high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

"Many of these issues aren't about partisanship. Democrats and Republicans drive on the same crowded highways."

Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com