Two key GOP primaries tomorrow

In Roanoke, five Republicans are scrambling to fill the vacant seat left by retiring Del. William Fralin. They will face Democrat Gwen Mason. The candidates: Bill Cleaveland, Chris Head, Josh Johnson, Melvin Williams and Mike Wray are all making last-ditch efforts to get voters of the 17th District to recognize them in time for tomorrow’s sure to be low-turnout primary.

In Chesterfield Hanover, three Republicans are battling to fill the vacant seat left by retiring Del. Frank Hargrove. Rusty McGuire (who we interviewed), Jerry Burch, and John Cox are vying for this seat. Cox, a small business owner and former head of the Virginia Trucking Association, has been endorsed by Rep. Eric Cantor. VTA splits its contributions between Democrats and Republicans. McGuire, a prosecutor with Louisa County, former attorney in the Office of the Attorney General under Bob McDonnell, and Iraq War veteran has raised about half of what Cox has.

In Lynchburg, Scott Garrett faces off against Jeff Helgeson. I know very little about this race, other than they will be facing incumbent Democrat Shannon Valentine.

In both these races, the winner will likely be the next delegate from these conservative districts.

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About the author

JR Hoeft

Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.