Candidates, with the exception of Edd Houck, have been reluctant to run as Democrats in Spotsylvania and have choosen the Independent label instead. So this year's local elections (BOS, constitutional officers)had no Democratic contenders. But the good news is that many of the successful Independents are "closet" Democrats. A quick look at vpap.org validates that.
The Free Lance Star, the very conservative regional newspaper, ran this story after the election.
GOP did not fare well this election...Spotsylvania's GOP was hit hardest.
"We got our clocks cleaned," said Mark Dorsey, who garnered 23 percent of the vote against incumbent Hap Connors, an independent who had ties to the Democratic Party in South Carolina.
Of the eight Republican candidates in contested races for local office in Spotsylvania, only one came out on top--and barely. By 60 votes, Republican Christy Jett ousted incumbent clerk Paul Metzger, who ran as an independent.
The poor national rating of President Bush, the unpopular war in the Middle East and Democrats hiding behind an independent facade are all factors that hurt the county's GOP, said Spotsylvania Republican Committee Chairman Robert Stuber.
...Stuber said that if some of the independents ran as Democrats, the results would be different.
"I wish the independents would get off the dime and stop hiding behind their phony little fronts," he said. "I challenge them to all stand up and say, 'I am a Democrat.'"
No Democrat filed to run for local office. Spotsylvania Democratic Committee Chairman James Smith said candidates for local office historically ran as independents. That doesn't mean Democrats aren't active in Spotsylvania, he said.
"Local politics really isn't partisan politics," he said. "I think this past election was a sign that [voters] were a little fed up with people having to sign a no-tax pledge and some of the personalities some brought forth in public office."
Well other good news is that for the first time in many, many years the local committee will have a reorganization where people (other than the current Chair and Vice Chair) will be allowed to run for those and other offices. The Chair and Vice Chair have announced that they will not be running. I just learned this news last night in a phone call from a current member who said "...let's round up all those people who quit out of disgust and get them back active again."