The winners of Tuesday night’s primary elections in Virginia spent Wednesday enjoying their victories and planning for the Nov. 6 general election.
After spending months wooing primary voters, the candidates must quickly shift their attention to November when all 100 House seatsand 40 Senate seats are on the line. The outcomes are crucial to both parties as Republicans try to keep controlling majorities in each chamber at the state capitol in Richmond and the Democrats try to take Senate and cut into the GOP’s advantage in the House.
George Barker, who won the Democratic nomination the 39th Senate district against Republican incumbent Jay O’Brien, did not take much time to relax.
After the results came in Tuesday night, Barker said his Wednesday plans would have him “right back to work knocking on doors, meeting people, getting to know them and their concerns.”
Democrat Margaret Vanderhye, who defeated Richard Sullivan in an expensive primary in the 34th House District, said the nomination fight helped prepare her campaign for the general election.
She will face Republican David Hunt in the race to replace retiring Del. Vincent Callahan, R-McLean, in a district that is the last Republican House seat inside the Capital Beltway.
“I looked at the primary as a staging for the general and we are in a great position for November,” Vanderhye said.
Finally knowing who his November opponent is, Hunt said, won’t affect his campaigning because Vanderhye and Sullivan had similar stances on many issues.
“I am just going to continue to do what have always done, which is reach out to people as much as possible,” he said.
