For Virginia’s executive team, the night ended at a rally in Norfolk, VA to get out the vote for Republican nominee for the 6th Virginia Senate District Ben Loyola and Delegate Ron Villanueva. It was the 6th stop in one day for a statewide effort to energize voters for the upcoming state elections (Nov. 8th). There will be 8 more tomorrow.
At this point, especially in the 6th Senate District, energy is everything. Presence at the polls is everything. If Loyola defeats Northam, the Virginia legislature will actually have a shot at legislating. Northam’s loss could give Republicans at the very least a 20-20 split in the Senate (with Lt. Gov. Bolling’s tie-breaking vote); at the most it could give the Republicans a majority.
Loyola has worked tirelessly over the past months, demonstrating his genuine concern for the genius of the district by personally knocking on over 15,000 doors. Surely, meeting so many people whom he wishes to represent gives him an advantage over his opponent at judging the district’s wishes for representation.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli pointed out that Northam thought the AG’s fight against ObamaCare was a “waste of time,” and asserted that Northam’s idea of the Constitution (Virginia’s and the federal one) is better suited for aesthetics than authority.
The Lt. Gov. was a bit kinder to Northam, agreeing with people he has talked to that “Ralph Northam is a nice guy. Fine. Invite him to dinner, take him to a ball game; but don’t send him to the Senate.” There is nothing “nice” about a senator’s blocking in committee multiple bills from the House, without ever letting them reach the floor—bills which Republicans and Democrats in the House have agreed will improve the economic environment.
This is the crux of Tuesday’s elections. Maintaining Republican control of the House of Delegates is almost certain (though we cannot forget that Ron Villanueva only won his seat by 16 votes). But Republicans wish to gain a majority in the senate to avoid the type of filibuster-by-committee that the Democrats in that chamber have been so fond of the past two years, with Dick Saslaw at the helm. Democrats like Mamie Locke have even advocated in their re-election bids that this is the best type of government, where despite a slim majority in the senate, they can maintain super-majorities in committees and effectively block the people’s will, which they see as contrary to their own agenda.
For the 6th Senate District, Tuesday is crucial. Gov. McDonnell urged everyone to exhort people at church on Sunday, and at work on Monday, to vote well. Republicans in Virginia have created relative prosperity despite the impositions and regulations at the federal level. They have done so with a competent Attorney General, who understands the Virginia and federal Constitutions and makes effective use of the 10th Amendment; they have done so with an astute Lieutenant Governor, who has cast the deciding vote in the Senate on critical legislation; and they have done so with a wise and perspicacious Governor who understands how to execute law and create an environment of confidence. Imagine what they could do without the political plashing the current senate has created.
To vote for Ben Loyola is to vote well.
Governor McDonnell’s speech at GOTV Rally, Norfolk, VA, Nov 5, 2011
