FitzSimmonds has been aggressively campaigning on what is now the top issue in Prince William County, with proposals to punish government contractors who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and to cooperate fully with federal officials to deport those engaging in criminal activity.

33rd District: Patricia Phillips

Of all the candidates we interviewed, Republican challenger Patricia Phillips was the only one who correctly noted that the best way to get more money to pay for a core state responsibility like transportation is to change the state’s budget priorities.

Funds for road maintenance and construction should come off first, not as leftover budget crumbs. Until that happens, Virginia’s transportation crisis won’t be solved.

Incumbent Democrat Mark Herring, who won his seat last year in a special election, is an able legislator who voted for the transportation bill and has secured several important projects in his car-dependent district. But he lacks Phillips’ clarity on this critical issue.

34th District: Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis

Republican incumbent Jeanne-marie Devolites-Davis is a moderate who has been leaning left in an attempt to hold on to her seat in an increasingly Democratic district. On some hot-button issues like gun control and gay rights, she sounds more like a Democrat than Chap Petersen, a well-known Fairfax City lawyer who won a House seat in 2001 by defeating former House Transportation Committee Chairman Jack Rust.

However, Petersen’s only solution to Northern Virginia’s transportation crisis seems to be a statewide gas tax increase as oil prices hit record highs, which even House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian Moran conceded would be a nonstarter in Richmond.

Besides being a prolific legislator, Devolites-Davis’ big advantage this year is her undisputed leadership role in the transportation bill that will bring $400 million to Northern Virginia for the first time in two decades.

As the only state senator on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, she’s in a unique position to deliver real congestion relief to commuters in the 34th District.

31st District: Mary Margaret Whipple

35th District: Dick Saslaw

Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple and Senate Minority Leader Dick Saslaw are savvy veteran lawmakers who face only token opposition this year. Both stand to assume senior leadership roles in the state Senate if Democrats capture the chamber this year, which will translate into greater clout for Northern Virginia.

37th District: Ken Cuccinelli

Democratic strategists hoping to recapture the state Senate portray Sen. Ken Cuccinelli as a right-wing nut, but they’re way off the mark.

Cuccinelli was the only state senator calling for changes in the state’s mental health system long before the Virginia Tech massacre. Mental health will be a major issue in the next session, and Cuccinelli has earned a place in the upcoming debate.

Democratic challenger Janet Oleszeck, who serves on the Fairfax County School Board, has run a campaign so short on specifics that she will be remembered most for her “I have to waffle” answer to a debate question about whether she would have voted for the transportation bill.

If voters consider both candidates’ basic competency, this race isn’t even close.

39th District: Jay O’Brien

During his 15 years in the General Assembly, Sen. Jay O’Brien has quietly sponsored bills ranging from creation of the state’s Amber Alert program for missing children to several well-received restrictions on teenage drivers.

A West Point graduate and member of the Virginia Commission on Immigration, O’Brien introduced legislation to allow police officers to check a suspect’s immigration status when making an arrest; he also wants a statewide approach to illegal immigrants who commit crimes.