By Jonathan Martin  Faced with the choice of running as an unapologetic Democrat in a state trending toward his party or keeping his distance from Washington in the fashion of a generation of Southern Democrats, Creigh Deeds tried to do both.

The result: the worst drubbing a Virginia gubernatorial candidate has received since 1961.

NORFOLK Democrats are questioning fundraising reports filed by unsuccessful House of Delegates candidate John Amiral, saying they don't believe the Republican had the money to loan his campaign more than $100,000.

VIRGINIA BEACH The tight 21st District race took several dramatic turns Thursday, with a raucous rally outside the voter registrar's office, allegations of vote-count irregularities and finally a court order to temporarily stop a review of absentee ballots. The order, requested by incumbent Del. Bobby Mathieson, who is down by 16 votes, was delivered to the registrar's office about

NORFOLK Democrat Sharon M. McDonald easily won a fourth term as commissioner of revenue Tuesday following a sometimes acrimonious campaign. McDonald, 54, racked up large margins of victory in all parts of the city, including precincts such as Tarrallton that voted overwhelmingly for Republicans in the three statewide races.

SOUTHERN SHORES, N.C. Three weeks ago, George Kowalski says, he went to the polls as a voter and left as a candidate. The 62-year-old gathered enough write-in votes in Tuesday's election to defeat the uncontested incumbent, Brian McDonald, for a seat on the Southern Shores Council.

VIRGINIA BEACH While Election Day marked the end of this year's political season, it represented the official start of one last contest: the race for state Sen. Ken Stolle's 8th District seat. Stolle was elected Beach sheriff Tuesday, beating Democratic opponent John Bell and opening up the office Stolle's held since 1991.

RICHMOND Hours after his landslide election victory, sleep-deprived Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell on Wednesday fielded congratulatory phone calls from well-wishers including President Barack Obama before meeting with a horde of reporters wanting to know his transition plans and what the Republican dominance on election night portends.

By Jonathan Allen

Republicans smell blood in the water after Tuesday’s wave of statewide victories in Virginia, pointing to four Democratic-held House districts where Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell ran up the score.

VIRGINIA BEACH
Republican Ron Villanueva held on to his 16-vote lead in the 21st District race Wednesday after local election officials reviewed most of the ballot totals. Still, Democrats and supporters of Del. Bobby Mathieson said a recount is likely.
"I don't see any way we're not going to a recount," said Ollie Bates, chairman of the Virginia Beach Democratic Party.

With Michael Sluss, The Roanoke Times RICHMOND Robert F. "Bob" McDonnell steamrolled R. Creigh Deeds in Tuesday's gubernatorial election as part of a dominating night for Republican candidates who prevailed in the other two statewide races and gained seats to increase the party's majority in the House of Delegates.