The Daily Press has the story, courtesy of the Roanoke Times:
Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell has filed his paperwork and petitions to run as an independent, the Roanoke Times reports.
The race already has a popular and unusually well-funded Republican, Nancy Dye, sparking talk in the Star City of a tight race.
Caldwell, who has been the city’s top prosecutor since 1979, has spent the past two weeks circulating petitions to get the 250 signatures necessary to get on the ballot, though he tells the Roanoke Times he isn’t making an official announcement yet.
This had been rumored for some time, as the strength of Nancy Dye’s candidacy has rattled a rather lazy and moribund Edwards re-election bid. Caldwell, who has formerly run as a Democrat in the past, is viewed as a last-ditch effort to salvage Democratic fortunes in SEN-21 — and perhaps apply pressure on Edwards, who has shown very little interest in actually waging a campaign to date, to “do the right thing” and bow out in favor of a candidate who has demonstrated a willingness to campaign.
The district leans Democratic, but Nancy Dye’s amazing campaign thus far is turning heads. Needless to say, this race is a Bearing Drift favorite.
