This Tuesday in Virginia, there were obvious winners -- Leslie Byrne, Jerry Kilgore, Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell. And, of course, there were obvious losers as well -- Sean Connaughton, Steve Baril, Chap Petersen, Viola Baskerville, and Phil Puckett. But beyond the obvious, there were other winners and losers on Primary Day. Here are a few that spring to mind.
WINNERS
1) Mark Warner: The threatened anti-tax rebellion by conservative groups fizzled, demonstrating the popularity of Warner's fiscal management of the state the past four years. This includes the budget deal that, yes, raised some taxes, while also lowering others. More generally, I would argue that the low turnout Tuesday was in part a sign that Virginians are basically content after four years of Mark Warner. If, indeed, they had been angry and clamoring for a change, wouldn't they have expressed that by turning out in larger numbers on election day? Seems like it to me, but they didn't. I say, Mark Warner is a winner.
2) Leadership for Virginia PAC: This PAC gave tens of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates who voted for the Warner/Kaine 2004 budget and tax package. Only one of the candidates this PAC supported, Gary Reece, lost on Tuesday. Not a bad batting average!
3) Organized Labor: A slew of unions -- AFSCME, United Food and Commercial Workers, Sheet Metal Workers, Plumbers and Pipefitters, Electrical Workers, Teamsters, Iron Workers -- backed winning Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Leslie Byrne to the tune of $125,000. Their investment paid off.
4) Virginia Political Blogs: Present company excluded, of course, the Virginia political "blogosphere" kicked butt the past few months, covering the primary contests better than most of the "mainstream media," and proving once again that they can (more than) play with the big boys. Virginia political blogs were also highly entertaining at times, with folks like "Pastor John," Barnie Day, and of course Steve "Blue Dog" Sisson providing a non-stop source of smiles.
5) Teenagers: On this blog alone, we've got two political superstars, Sam Penney and Kenton Ngo, neither of whom can legally drive, at least as far as I know. And let's not forget all the youthful volunteers for campaigns like David Englin's. Young, talented, and committed: was I that way 25 years ago? Well, at least I had the young part down!
6) Snark: I can't really define it, but I know it when I see it. And, I say, there's no better cure for political mudslinging and vicious personal attacks than a heaping bowl o' snark. Now, where can I get some?
LOSERS
1) Democracy: Voter turnout was absolutely abysmal on Tuesday, under 4% for all the state-wide races. Turnout was higher in a few districts with contested House of Delegates' races, but it still wasn't anything to write home about, with 15% marking the "high" point (in the 75th district). Not good for Democracy, not good at all.
2) The Washington Post: Made one endorsement (Sean Connaughton for Lt. Governor) and one semi-endorsement (a bizarre one, kinda sorta of Jim Lay, in the 45h district). Both candidates lost badly.
3) Tom Davis: Congressman Davis backed Sean Connaugton, who lost badly. Not a stellar day for the Davis machine.
4) Minorities: There will be no African Americans, Hispanics, or Asians on the ballot this fall for any state-wide office. Viola Baskerville was the only shot, and she came in second on Tuesday.
MIXED BAG
1) The Virginia Conservative Action PAC (VCAP). VCAP was both a winner and a loser, giving nearly $300,000 to victorious Attorney General candidate Bob McDonnell and two House of Delegates candidates (Craddock, Golden), while losing four other House races (Chapman, Jarvis, Kenney, Oprison) into which it poured around $75,000.
2) Northern Virginia: Sean Connaughton, from Prince William County, lost, as did Chap Petersen of Fairfax. On the other hand, Leslie Byrne of Fairfax won the Democratic Lt. Governor's nomination. All in all, it was a mixed bag on Tuesday for Northern Virginia.
3) Southwest Virginia: Phil Puckett finished last in his race for the Democratic Lt. Governor nomination. On the other hand, Scott County's Jerry Kilgore won big over Warrenton's George Fitch. On yet another hand (how many hands do you guys at RaisingKaine have, anyway?), Kilgore was expected to win so I guess it was mainly bad news for Southwest Virginia on Tuesday.
4) Money: Usually, the candidate with the most cash wins. But on Tuesday, it was a mixed bag, with Bob McDonnell winning both the money and vote races, while Sean Connaugton raised more money but lost anyway to Bill Bolling. Among Democratic Lt. Governor candidates, Chap Petersen easily raised the most money, but lost to leslie Byrne, who finished second in terms of cash.
Among House of Delegates candidates, it was a mixed bag. James Hyland was outraised big time by Edward Robinson in the 35th District, but won. David Englin finished second to Laura Mandala in contributions, but finished first -- while Mandala finished fourth of six -- in the 45th. On the other hand, David Bulova outraised Janet Oleszek by a nearly 2:1 margin, and won handily. David Toscano raised more money in the 57th and won easily. Harry Parrish outraised Steve Chapman by a nearly 4:1 margin in the 50th district, but only won by 342 votes (out of 3,530 cast). As I said, it was a mixed bag for money this past Tuesday.
Anything you think should be added to the winners and losers list? Changes? Corrections? If so, please feel free to share it with the rest of the Virginia political blogosphere, right here in the comments section. Which reminds me, "intelligent commenters on blogs" were definitely a big winner Tuesday. Frankly, I learned more about Virginia politics just from reading peoples' comments than I did from perusing the Washington Post every day. And no, that wasn't meant as a backhanded compliment! :)