The biggies today are in the 8th, 10th and 11th where we’re watching the race between Republicans Amit Singh and Mark Ellmore, Democrats Judy Feder and Mike Turner, and Democrats Gerry Connolly and Leslie Byrne respectively. We’re hearing, so far, that turnout has been extremely light in the 8th and 11th. In the 8th, this may favor Amit Singh. In the 11th, Operation Chaos-Virginia, may be having an effect. Then again, so might the storms.

11:42 p.m. Didn’t take the Fimian campaign long. HAHAHAHAHA!

“All of the enthusiasm for change on the national and local level evaporated in the face of two tired re-tread candidates slugging it out for the Democrat nomination today,” said Travis Smith, spokesman for Fimian. “Voters in Fairfax and Prince William were clearly disenchanted with their Democrat choices.”

Totals accumulated by the state board of elections show that fewer than 5% of eligible voters cast ballots in the 11th District Congressional Primary in Fairfax County and even fewer voted in Prince William County.

“Voters in Fairfax and Prince William are clearly disenchanted about their prospects for the fall. I don’t think Democrats were at all excited about their choices to begin with, now they are stuck with Gerry Connolly,” said Travis Smith. “He is simply more of the same, a tired, old politician who represents the politics of the past. If you want change, he is not the answer.”

9:30 p.m. With nearly all the voting complete, we can get a better idea of voter turnout…and it stinks. In each district, despite competitive races, turnout will not break - combined between Democrats and Republicans - 6% With two precincts left to report in the 8th, Ellmore has a 662 vote lead. Republicans could muster only about 1.5% turnout, while Democrats could only get about 3%. In the 11th, a very competitive Democratic race has only 5.5%. Pathetic.

9:10 p.m. Ellmore continues to widen his margin of victory. With 24 precincts left to report in Fairfax, Ellmore has a 500 vote lead.

8:46 p.m. So it looks like it will be Gerry Connolly (D) v. Keith Fimian (R) in the 11th, Judy Feder (D) reprising her defeat against Rep. Frank Wolf (R) in the 10th, and Mark Ellmore (R) getting his shot to unseat Rep. Jim Moran (D) in the 8th. Jim Riley has some farewell music for Leslie Byrne and her “netroots” supporters.

In this week’s show, Shaun Kenney and Brian Kirwin join J.R. to talk the latest in politics in Virginia. This week’s show includes:

• Republicans: a house divided?
• Obama’s Virginia visit
• Warner’s campaign video
• Your emails! That’s right — you’re part of the show too, so drop your email to J.R. with the subject line “VPOD”
• The upcoming primaries in the 8th and 11th, including our thoughts on the “nut-roots”
• And a trip to the “Spin Room”

Shaun also has some special sentiments for the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

 

 Virginia Politics On-Demand w/Jim Hoeft, Shaun Kenney and Brian Kirwin - June 5, 20008 [30:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (419)

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I had a chance to see Sen. Jim Webb’s endorsement of Leslie Byrne for Congress, which in all likelihood is a payback for her endorsement of him in 2006, and was struck not by its blatant defeatist mentality (which is certainly there), but this key line buried at the end of the literature in the small print: