Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Second in a series on campaign spending in November 2011 races affecting McLean
McLean is divided into two Virginia Senate districts and both races this past November cost more than $1 million each. The 31st District race between Democrat Barbara Favola and Republican Caren Merrick and the 32nd District race pitting incumbent Democrat Janet Howell against Republican challenger Patrick Forest were among about 15 Senate races that broke the $1 million mark, according to the nonpartisan and nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. The all-out partisan war between state Republicans and Democrats for control of the Senate drove up the cost of the races, VPAP said. There were 10 million-dollar Senate races in 2007, the last time all 40 seats were on the ballot, VPAP reported. The election resulted in an evenly split …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Arlington County voters will determine several contested races -- and perhaps the future of the state General Assembly.
Arlington County voters today will help decide several contested state and local races -- and perhaps control of the Virginia General Assembly for at least the next two years. At the forefront is Arlington County Board Member Barbara Favola, who survived a bitter and expensive state Senate primary battle in order to face the well-funded Republican Caren Merrick, a McLean businesswoman. The winner will succeed retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell has been campaigning off and on in Northern Virginia for months, trying to amplify any patches of red in this typically blue portion of the state. He helped Merrick raise money early on and took the guest spot at a recent Arlington fundraiser for Republican Patrick …
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Howell pledges to find out who is behind card that says Forrest is "coming out of the liberal closet."
Hunter Mill voters on Friday received a campaign postcard from an organization called Our Heritage USA calling Republican state senate candidate Patrick Forrest “openly homosexual” and says he is endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. A Washington Post story says it can't find any evidence that Our Heritage USA even exists. The mailer says Forrest is a “liberal Republican” who supports illegal immigration reform, worked for President Obama’s transition team and has voted in Democratic primaries. “A liberal Republican like Patrick Forrest is a greater threat to the conservative agenda than a Democrat will ever be,’’ it reads. Forrest, who is openly gay, has accused incumbent Democratic Sen. Janet Howell, of making an issue of his …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Gov. Bob McDonnell joins Republican state Senate candidate at Arlington fundraiser.
Gov. Bob McDonnell joined fellow Republican and state Senate candidate Patrick Forrest at an Arlington fundraiser Wednesday and said winning seats in Northern Virginia was key to turning the entire General Assembly over to the GOP. Forrest, a former Homeland Security official, is seeking to oust incumbent Democratic state Sen. Janet Howell in the left-leaning 32nd Senate District. “We’ve been making traction on her,” Forrest said. “And I know we’ve been making traction, because she’s been freaking out. She’s started to engage in some pretty unsavory, underhanded, old school political tactics. And we’re just not going to let her do it.” Forrest’s campaign manager, Buck Cram, said it more plainly. Cram accused Howell of spearheading a …
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Forrest starts petition on toll increases, while Howell calls for action for Gov. McDonnell
With one debate under their belts, the Patrick Forrest-Janet Howell race is in full swing with a clear focus heading into the last two months before Election Day: the Dulles Toll Road. Before last week's debate, 32nd Senate District challenger Forrest (R) had been raising awareness on a study from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority that predicted fees on the Dulles Toll Road could exceed $17 roundtrip within the next five years, and $17 each way by 2040. He also has been pointing his finger at Sen. Janet Howell (D) for being "silent" on the issue, which he asserted in a Letter to the Editor to the Fairfax County Times and at last week's debate hosted by the Arlington County Civic Federation. But Howell said she has seen the …
Rob Whitfield
3:03 pm on Monday, November 7, 2011
Private Person, Will Radle and Others: Thanks for your comments. It will be two years or more before we see the final Phase 1 rail capital cost estimates. Phase 2 cost estimates are set to be provided by MWAA in February 2012. Only a dim Democrat would project final Phase 1 capital costs lower than the MWAA budgeted $2.756 billion and $3.14 billion including construction period interest costs or … more ›