Fairfax County voters appeared on track to hand Democratic standard-bearer Gerry Connolly a second term as Board of Supervisors chairman Tuesday, with Connolly holding a substantial lead as votes were tallied.
Some races in Fairfax — especially the clerk of the court and Dranesville seat on the Board of Supervisors — were too close to call with fewer than half the 225 precincts reporting hours after the polls closed.
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But by and large, incumbents on the 10-member Fairfax County Board of Supervisors seemed primed for victory, the early numbers indicated.
Connolly had 61 percent of the vote, compared with Republican challenger Gary Baise’s 34 percent.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins had taken more than 3,000 votes, which was more than the total of her three independent challengers combined.
Two challengers who won the blessing of retiring supervisors also had taken strong leads. Pat Herrity, a Republican in the Springfield District and son of the late former Chairman Jack Herrity, with 57 percent of the vote, was leading Democrat Mike McClanahan. Democrat Jeff McKay, who served 12 years as chief of staff for Lee District Supervisor Dana Kauffman, was close to doubling the numbers of his opponent, Republican Doug Boulter.
Democrat Penelope Gross also held a massive lead over Republican Vellie Dietrich Hall in the Mason District. Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth was unopposed. Democratic incumbents Sharon Bulova and Gerald Hyland and Republican Michael Frey also looked set to win handily against independent or independent Green challengers.
The slate of apparent incumbent victories signals that the many accusations of over development, over spending and lax illegal-immigration enforcement didn’t gain much traction among county voters.
Connolly raised more than $1 million in his bid against Baise, a lawyer and former official with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The chairman had run a campaign focused on his environmental proposals, the strength of the county’s school system and a reduction in gang crime.
Commonwealth’s attorney candidate Ray Morrogh led his Republican opponent, Patrick McDade, by a heavy margin.
In the Clerk of the Court race, Dale Evans, a Democrat, led incumbent John Frey.
