House Campaign Reports

12 June 2009

2009 is an election year for the 100 seats in the House of Delegates and the statewide offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. Below are a series of reports on key House of Delegates races provided by Virginia FREE.

H 34 Del. Margi Vanderhye (D) vs. Barbara Comstock (D) - Northern Virginia: Northern Fairfax County

H 83 Del. Joe Bouchard (D) vs. Chris Stolle (R)

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H 34 Del. Margi Vanderhye (D) vs. Barbara Comstock (D)
Northern Virginia: Northern Fairfax County

When K Street empties out at night, a good portion of its lobbyists and lawyers go back to homes in McLean and Great Falls, two of Virginia’s most affluent addresses. McLean tends to be newer, denser and more diverse, leaning more Democratic in recent years. Great Falls, with its minimum two-acre lots, has older estates and a more conservative electorate. The 34 District is a crescent that encompasses both jurisdictions, sweeping along the Potomac River, from Arlington to Loudoun. It is a swing district that favors moderates such as Sen. Mark Warner (D), Rep. Frank Wolf (R) and former Del. Vince Callahan (R). When Callahan retired in 2007, he was the last remaining Republican Delegate inside the Beltway. Del. Margi Vanderhye (D) won a competitive race with 51.5%. Prior to her election, Vanderhye, activist, civic leader, and wife of a McLean lawyer, served on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board. In the House, Vanderhye is known as knowledgeable, capable, slightly left of center, and solutions-oriented. She is fully engaged in issues affecting transportation, growth, health care, energy and the environment. Her record on business issues is solid, if not stellar, with a 73% VA FREE voting record in her first two legislative sessions. Her opponent is Barbara Comstock, an attorney and career conservative activist who handled public relations for Attorney General John Ashcroft in the Bush administration and later spearheaded the defense funds for then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and White House official Scooter Libby. She is a former aide to U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, and former chief counsel to the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. With her vast Rolodex, Comstock has proved a prolific fundraiser, collecting twice as much money as Vanderhye in the first quarter of 2009 from twice as many donors. Her national GOP connections and fundraising prowess will make her a formidable candidate, but her associations with embattled Bush-era Republicans may prove to be a liability in this district wary of partisans.

    

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H 83 Del. Joe Bouchard (D) vs. Chris Stolle (R)

The 83rd District is tucked between the Norfolk city limits on the west and Lynnhaven River on the east, and stretches from Chesapeake Bay to the Virginia Beach Expressway. This is Republican territory: George Bush won here twice and former Republican Del. Leo Wardrup served here for 16 years before retirement in 2007. When Democrats do win here, as Barack Obama did in 2008, it is by razor-thin margins. A case in point is Del. Joe Bouchard (D), who won by just 131 votes in 2007 and is among the GOP’s top targets for defeat this year. He faces a re-match with formidable Republican challenger Chris Stolle. In their 2007 battle, Bouchard and Stolle spent a combined total of $1.2 million, making this one of the most expensive House races in the state. It is expected to be another heavy-weight bout this year. Bouchard was buoyed in his maiden run for office by his strong ties to the Navy community in Virginia Beach. Bouchard is not the first Hampton Roads politician to tout his military background. After all, the region’s fortunes rise and fall on Pentagon spending. But no politician can match Bouchard’s rank and standing – from 2000 to 2003 he was the commanding officer of the sprawling Norfolk Naval Station, the largest naval base in the world. His campaign theme was “A tradition of service” and featured photos of him, his father and grandfather, all in uniform. Like Bouchard, challenger Chris Stolle (R) also served in the Navy for nearly three decades. Today, he is an OB-GYN and vice president for medical affairs at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News. His older brother, State Senator Ken Stolle, has represented Virginia Beach for 18 years and is the prohibitive favorite in his bid for sheriff of Virginia Beach this year. With two Stolles on the ballot, Bouchard will have a very competitive race.