The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Republican Jeff McWaters is heading to Richmond as a state senator.
The retired CEO and founder of Amerigroup Corp. soundly defeated Democrat Bill Fleming on Tuesday to win the 8th District seat vacated by longtime legislator Kenneth Stolle, now the city's sheriff.
In unofficial results, McWaters received 8,051 votes. Fleming received 2,184.
"The job interview is over, and I'm ready to get to work," McWaters said Tuesday night at a small gathering at his Laskin Road campaign headquarters. "It's a high honor to be placed in a job like this."
McWaters, 53, ran mainly on job creation issues, touting his background as a businessman. He'll be sworn in today in Richmond - the first day of the 2010 General Assembly session - and has been tapped to respond to outgoing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's final State of the Commonwealth speech tonight on behalf of Senate Republicans, he said.
McWaters lent himself $450,000 for the campaign, which cost at least $741,000, according to expense reports. Much of that was spent on the hard-fought Republican canvass last month against City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson, a race that made Tuesday's finale anti-climactic.
Fleming, 61, a last-minute candidate, ran a low-key campaign without signs or major advertising. He spent about $14,000, most of which was his own money, reports show.
About 9 percent of registered voters in the district went to the polls. The district encompasses eastern Virginia Beach.
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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Meanwhile
Democrat David Marsden won the state senate seat vacated by Ken Cuccinelli, giving Democrats a net gain of +1 for the day, resulting in a 22-18 majority in the State Senate.
Stolle
Stolle was a RINO so it will be interesting to see if McWaters is any more conservative. I realize that you are a huge lib but thought I would make the point anyway.
Congratulations, But...
That it costs this amount of money to get elected to a comparatively mid-level state political office is in itself worrisome. It obviously limits a lot of otherwise good candidates, and really makes one wonder--how much would McWaters have spent if necessary to win? Likely, far beyond the $450,000 or $750,000 or whatever it was.
But at least the irritating recorded phone calls will end. I so wish you could opt out of those as with other solicitations. I have given a considerable amount of money to a range of candidates over the past year, but will start drawing the line at those who bombard me with these incessant evening calls!
the bigger picture
All this bickering is distressful. Will it take another 9/11 to open eyes again and get our country to come together and be strong and unified again? There's a lot of evil out there that want to destroy not just our country and the democracy it was founded upon, but they want to kill us...."we the people!" Let's not help them by destroying our country from within. We need to be strong and united and put our trivial conflicts away.
next door
The hatred is in your back yard, Pat Robertson!
its a worthy goal but
the Anti American cancer has already infected this country and is imbedded in our system. We have to fight against this cancer and remove it through the electoral process and through continuing resolve. Yes, there are cancers in both parties that have invaded our govt and want to see this great nation fail and we need to address them at every level. to truly change this nation it starts on the local level and will then move federally.
The greatest threat...
The greatest threat to the American people comes from the corporate run oligarchy which is currently running the government. Through their lobbyists they have bought off thhe politicians and they weild their power through the writing of laws which protect and benefit corporate interests while robbing and fleecing the American Public.
The death panels of the insurance cartels have killed far more Americans this past year than any terrorist group. Yes terrorists are our enemy and they want to kill us over foreign policy and religious ideologies.
But the insurance cartels let us die over their unsatiated greed for more profit. Americans stand a far greater chance of dying from lack of health care in the wealthiest nation on earth than they do of being kill by a terrorist.
So, again I ask you, what is the greatest threat to this nation, the enemy from without or the enemy from within.
haha
Your rants remind of the typical liberal college professor that spews this bile to the young naive students. At the end of the day he/she still gleefully takes home that fat paycheck (from the backs of poor students/families and successful alumni') and health insurance coverage (issued by one of those evil insurance companies) for their efforts. Funny, I've never heard of even one say they'll take a pay cut because their priciples dictate it.
Yeah haha
Its hilarious to watch a kid die because their parents can't get the death panels of the insurance cartels to approve the surgery or procedure or treatment that their child needs to live. Ha ha that so funny.
All the while those vultures collect their fat blood money checks. Ha ha ha whewww thats so funny!!!
And its naive stooges that support those vampires and this souless system that make it all possible. Oh its so funny, ha ha ha ha.
Tea Party influence
I think it's a shame that people believe the lies that Pelosi and the media say about the Tea Party Americans. Before you make a judgement, check them out and see they are not FOR or AGAINST Repubs or Democrats, the majority are FOR the politicians backing up American Citizens, lower taxes, small businesses, and other responsible influences, including REPRESENTING the people in their districts. Don't believe the lies told by the media. We the people are taking back out country! Come and join us!