An off-year Democratic primary in Fairfax County’s Providence District drew out more voters than a federal primary in 2006, according to county election records, an unusually strong turnout fueled by development and the hope of a Metrorail tunnel under Tysons Corner.
Only 4,179 Providence District voters showed during last year’s primary, when Harris N. Miller squared off against Jim Webb for the Senate nomination and Andrew Hurst and Ken Longmyer fought for the 11th District House nod. Hurst won the nomination but lost to Republican Tom Davis. Webb, now a senator, narrowly edged out George Allen in the general election.
This year, 4,441 voter came out in the district, with a contentious battle for a Board of Supervisors seat taking center stage. Democratic incumbent Linda Smyth beat community activist Charlie Hall with 2,380 votes; only a few hundred more than her opponent. With no apparent Republican challenge, Smyth appears on track to retain her seat.
“It all comes back to [former Speaker of the House] Tip O’Neill’s comment that all politics is local,” said Sean T. O’Brien, executive director of University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute.
Åbout 200 voters in the district also cast their ballots in the 34th House District primary, where Margaret Vanderhye beat Richard Sullivan to challenge Republican David Hunt in November.
Hall’s candidacy had emerged out of his opposition to Pulte Homes’ Metro West development at the Vienna Metro Station, and his campaign centered largely around what he called “piecemeal planning” by the sitting board.
The battle for the tunnel under Tysons as part of the 23-mile extension of Metrorail to Loudoun County was a mobilizing factor. At question was whether supervisors had fought hard enough to it bring back as an option and whether a newcomer could make any difference. State officials say the concept is dead.
“I think it was a very contentious-type election; there was a lot of misinformation going around,” said Ginny Peters, chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. “Evidently, people were saying that Linda Smyth did not support the tunnel. Linda Smyth has always supported the tunnel.”
Scott Monett, head of Tysonstunnel.org, a group organizing the tunnel push, said both candidates have shown their support.
