LT. GOVERNOR RACE
Bill Bolling (R) – 56.41% (winner)
Jody Wagner (D) – 43.51%

ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE
Ken Cuccinelli (R) – 57.52% (winner)
Steve Shannon (D) – 42.39%

13th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE (Prince William Campus) – 100% of Precincts Reporting
John Bell (D) – 38.6%
Bob Marshall (R) – 61.3% (winner)

37th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE (Fairfax Campus) – 100% of Precincts Reporting
David Bulova (D) – 67.56% (winner)
Christopher DeCarlo (I) – 24.74%

40th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE – 100% of Precincts Reporting
Susan Conrad (D)* – 36.81%
Timothy Hugo (R) – 63.06% (winner)

47th DISTRICT HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE (Arlington Campus) – 100% of Precincts Reporting
Eric Brescia (R) – 31.87%
Patrick Hope (D) – 63.89% (winner)
Josh Ruebner (I) – 4.11%

*George Mason University graduate student

When Virginians go to the polls on Nov. 3, they will not be voting for their three statewide officials as one party ticket. This means that the next administration could be a mixture of political parties.

It has happened before. When Democrat Tim Kaine won a surprise victory over Republican opponent Jerry Kilgore in the 2005 gubernatorial election, it was Bill Bolling, a Republican, who snagged the lieutenant governor’s seat.

With the race for governor turning out to be unexpectedly tight (Democrats were elected in 2001 and 2005 by comfortable margins), the battle to win the state’s second-highest office has been pushed to the side. The lieutenant governor, however, is the state’s second-in-command, and can ascend to the governorship in the death, resignation or disqualification of the governor.

The Constitution of Virginia states that the lieutenant governor must be a United States citizen who “shall have attained the age of thirty years and have been a resident of the Commonwealth and a registered voter in the Commonwealth for five years next preceding his election.”

The greatest constitutional difference between the governor and lieutenant governor is that while the governor may serve only one consecutive term, the lieutenant governor can seek reelection as many times as he likes.

Once in office, the lieutenant governor’s primary responsibility is to preside over the Virginia Senate, casting a vote only if the chamber is evenly divided on a piece of legislation.

Practically speaking, the lieutenant governor makes appearances on behalf of the governor, and, when the two are of the same party, advocates on behalf of the governor’s agenda. In cases where the administration is politically split, however, the lieutenant governor is largely free to push an agenda independent of the governor’s office, an ability whose importance has increased in recent years; since 1980, three lieutenant governors have gone on to take the helm of the state, making the office a springboard to greater political power.

Bolling, who is running again for the position, has a moderate lead against his Republican opponent Jody Wagner; an Oct. 7 Washington Post poll had him leading Wagner 49 to 40 percent.

Political terrain is never steady, though, and both candidates are hitting the trail in the last stretch of the campaign.

“As the state Treasurer and Secretary of Finance, I helped Mark Warner and Tim Kaine balance the budget, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and make record investments in education and job training,” Wagner said in a statement to Mason Votes. “I’m proud that our efforts earned Virginia the designation as the country’s ‘Best Managed State,’ and that we were named the ‘Best State for Business’ eight times during the Kaine administration alone. I plan to invest in high-growth industries like renewable energy production and biotechnology, utilizing George Mason [University], and other schools as incubators of research and development.”

Wagner said that education, job creation, and transportation would be her biggest policy priority concerns, promising to allow “every student” in Virginia the opportunity to attend college and come up with a permanent solution to the transportation problems in the region, proposing such remedies as public/private partnerships and incentives to get cars off the roads.

The Bolling campaign was skeptical of Wagner’s promises.

In a statement released to Mason Votes, a Bolling spokesperson said that Wagner’s “policies of higher taxes, more regulations and more government spending will kill jobs and drive our economy deeper into recession.”

Bolling pledged to serve “as Virginia’s chief jobs creation officer and oversee Virginia’s economic development and job creation programs,” a goal his camp said he would accomplish through deregulation and lower taxes

“Lieutenant Governor Bolling is uniquely qualified to perform this function because of his background in private business, his experience in state and local government, and his reputation of being one of Virginia’s most pro-business leaders,” the campaign said. “In addition, his policies, of reducing taxes and regulations and investing in proven economic development and job creation programs will help get our economy moving again and create jobs.”

For the second year in a row, the Mason Votes Vans will ferry students from George Mason University’s Fairfax campus to their designated polling place, Woodson High School in Fairfax.

The Mason Votes Vans will run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and will pick students up from the front of Sandy Creek Parking Deck, where the shuttles and Gunston Go Bus usually run.

Staffed by drivers from Student Government, the two seven-passenger mini-vans will alternate trips, with one heading to the polls while the other is departing, with the goal of ensuring that no student has to wait more than a few minutes for a ride.

Students at the stop will be provided with snacks, drinks and campaign literature from all candidates.

The program provided 400 students with transportation to the polls in 2008, though SG officials acknowledge that fewer people are likely to participate this time around.

“2008 was a historic election so it was easier to promote,” said Student Senate Speaker Mhehvish Khan. “This year, we’ll be working even harder to do that.”

Pete Danjczek, chief of staff to SG President Devraj Dasgupta, said he thought there would be “far fewer riders in 2009, but qualified that SG would try to make up for the deficit with “the passion of last year.”

Danjczek said that members of the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha would be dispersed throughout the Johnson Center and near Southside letting people know about the shuttle service and distributing campaign literature.

“We want students to understand why they’re voting,” Danjczek emphasized. “We’re handing out an unbiased page of platforms from the candidates’ websites, using their wording. We’re not doing much interpretation.”

Susan Conrad, a master’s candidate at George Mason University studying for a degree in Instructional Technology, is running for the House of Delegates 40th District seat. She is campaigning on a transportation platform that would require raising gas taxes and automobile registration fees.

“It’s not going to be popular,” said Conrad, who recommended raising the gas tax by about five cents and the registration fee by five dollars. “But the longer we wait, the more it’ll cost. Fairfax roads only got one million dollars for road maintenance this year. People don’t want to pay to fix pot-holes, so they’ll wind up paying for a new car alignment. They don’t want to pay a gas tax, but they burn three dollars in gas a day sitting on Route 66.”

Conrad said that Northern Virginia needs expanded roads, and, ultimately, a much larger Metro system that goes “at least to Gainesville.”

“Those projects will take years to finish,” said Conrad. “In the meantime, there’s some other things we can do.”

Conrad proposed tax incentives for businesses to stagger their work hours, ensuring that “a portion of their workforce will not be on the road at certain times. That way, we can spread out use of the roads.”

Conrad said that a large part of the problem comes from Republican lawmakers in the House of Delegates who have taken from the wealthy communities in Northern Virginia without giving enough back.

“For every education dollar we sent to Richmond, we only get 25 cents back,” she said. “And the local economy has to make up the difference. Just over in Prince William County, they get 56 cents back. There all of these formulas they have down there, and none of the money is coming back to Fairfax.”

Conrad went on to say that a lack of funds affected the entire community, from university students coping with rising tuition to commuters facing long commutes, to businesses who find operating in the area difficult due to “overwhelming traffic.”

“We’re at a pivotal point,” stressed Conrad. “If we don’t allocate money to education, roads, and economic development, we’re going to be in trouble.”

Conrad made clear that she wasn’t advocating withholding funds from the rest of the Commonwealth.

“I definitely feel we have to help,” she stated. “I’m not saying we should get one dollar back for every dollar we give, because when we help other parts of the state we all benefit. However, there’s a disproportionate amount not coming back. Eighty percent of the state’s money is coming from here. If we don’t develop infrastructure here, the whole state is jeopardy.”

Oct. 26, 2009

The children of Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds came to George Mason University Monday to campaign for their father.  Amanda and Gus Deeds were handing out flyers on campus and speaking with students.

“Young voters hold a lot of swing,” said Gus, 20, on why they are on the road for their father.

Amanda, 24, explained that they were handing out flyers with quotes from The Washington Post covering topics from their father’s campaign.

Amanda said that is was important to hand them out at Mason because The Washington Post is local and relevant.  She emphasized that the flyers were “supporting Dad’s plan on transportation” which was an important issue in Northern Virginia.

“[We have] got to get our Dad elected,” said Amanda.

Gus said that they have been on the campaign trail with their father and have visited several universities across the state including William & Mary and Virginia Tech to hand out flyers.

“[It’s] getting the conversation started,” said Gus.  “Getting it out that there’s a governor’s race going on.  People, especially students on college campuses are busy and might not realize it.”

Gus feels that there is a lot of voter fatigue left over from the presidential race and that the campaign would have to “battle” it to get his father elected.

When asked how they deal with negative campaign ads about their father, Amanda said they are in the car a lot with him away from the Internet.  She said they don’t have blackberries and try to watch as little television as possible.  “We watch stuff like VH1 and Tool Academy,” said Amanda.

“It seems like Mr. McDonnell has a negative attitude on negative ads,” said Gus.

Amanda said they spoke with students today that were concerned with the negative ads.  She said she doesn’t understand why people are worrying and letting the ads affect their decision.

“Bob McDonnell has spent more money on negative ads than we have on all our ads total,” said Amanda.  “[He] just can’t be our governor,” she said.

Tuition for George Mason University students rose by 9.8 percent for in-state students and 9.7 percent for out-of-state students between the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years. These numbers are well in excess of the national average of 6.5 percent.

Annual tuition now stands at $7,512 for in-state students and $21,648 for out-of-state students.

Mason Press Secretary Dan Walsch said that out-of-state tuition, which stands at more than double the in-state cost, helps the school during lean financial times, and stated candidly that Mason would be helped if more out-of-state students came.

“We recognize the importance of a healthy balance between in-state and out-of-state students,” Walsch said. “Having people here from other states and other countries enriches our culture. At the same time, we have to be sensitive to the political needs of the legislators in the General Assembly. Some of them have proposed actually putting a cap on the number of out-of-state students admitted, because they reason that every classroom seat given to someone from out of state is a seat that won’t go to a Virginian. These are the people who vote to give us the money we need to operate. Part of it is political.”

Shannell Austin, a freshman from Philadelphia, said out-of-state students bear too heavy a burden. “Most of the out-of-state people I know are talking about transferring because they can’t pay the tuition,” she said. “Even with financial aid, I’ll probably drop out or transfer next semester.”

Elvin Keller, a first-year student from Alabama, agreed.

“I’m in a fortunate situation and my parents can afford to send me here,” he said. “But for a lot of the other out-of-state students it’s really hard. My friend, Rose, is out-of-state and she works on campus. She works 40 hours a week and does 18 credits. She’s stressed out and tired all the time. She really wanted to come here, though—she was determined.”

Tuition usually has be raised at least slightly each year to reflect inflation, but Mason costs of attendance have gone up by at least five percent every year since 2000, while during the same period inflation has never exceeded 3.8 percent. Since the onset of recession the dollar has actually experienced 1.4 percent deflation, which means that Mason’s 9.8 percent tuition rise is in practical terms closer to a 10.2 percent hike.

This comes at a time when the school has exceeded its fall 2009 enrollment target by 1,500 students, beating out Virginia Commonwealth University to become the largest university in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Walsch said that the steep tuition increase was the result of “severe revenue shortfalls” in Richmond. “George Mason is a public university,” he said. “And its primary source to exist is public money. In the last year and a half, the General Assembly has cut $40 million from our budget. We have to make that up, and to maintain the quality and institutions here, we’ve been turning to raising tuition. We’re not insensitive to the financial demands on families. We know there’s people out there right now who are struggling to stay in their homes, to put food on their tables. We’re just trying to continue being able to do what we do as an institution.”

Walsch noted that Mason has taken other steps besides raising tuition to handle the financial situation, such as increasing class sizes, offering fewer sections, hiring fewer adjunct faculty, reducing the hours of certain services, such as the health center, and reducing transportation costs.

Walsch said that tuition isn’t likely to stop going up anytime soon. “Things are going to be tight for the next few years,” he said. “Virginia has a lot of other issues—transportation, state police and other things, and they’re all important.”

As the Virginia campaign enters its final week, voters are tasked with the important responsibility of electing several key government officials, among them is the Commonwealth’s attorney general. Both Democrat Steve Shannon and Republican Ken Cuccinelli have claimed to be the most qualified for the position, but what does being Virginia’s senior lawyer actually entail?

According to the attorney general official website, the office, currently occupied by Republican Bill Mims, “is charged with providing advice to state agencies and the Governor; serving as consumer counsel for the people of the Commonwealth; defending criminal convictions on appeal to ensure that justice is served; and defending the laws of the Commonwealth when they are challenged on constitutional grounds.”

The attorney general is one of only three statewide elected officers, the other two being the lieutenant governor and governor. Virginia attorneys general serve four-year renewable terms.

When a legal question comes before a state institution or the constitutionality of a state policy is in question, the Office of the Attorney General is responsible for providing the governor and other relevant officials with prescient counsel, directing them toward the path that best defends citizens’ rights while responsibly advancing the interests of the state.

This direction can sometimes take the form of written legal opinions delivered to members of the General Assembly to assist them in the drafting of laws.

The Office of the Attorney General takes an active role regarding issues that affect large numbers of residents, such as domestic violence, consumer protection, debt collection, assisting criminal investigations in some instances, enforcement of child support obligations, supervising “the appointment and payment of private attorneys hired by other state agencies,” assisting crime victims in their legal cases, fighting identity theft, administering grants, and operating a sexual offenders’ registry, according to the attorney general website.

The attorney general must also oversee the important task of defending criminals’ convictions on appeal.

In a statement released to Mason Votes, Shannon’s campaign touted the Democrat’s experience as a Fairfax County prosecutor who confronted gang and domestic violence, specifically targeting sexual predators. The statement went on to say that Shannon who in 2001 co-founded, with his wife Abby, the Washington metropolitan AMBER alert system, is “running to make Virginia safer by cracking down on drugs, gang leaders and Internet predators who target our kids.”

“I’ve actually sat in a court room with gang members sitting behind me as I argued a case against one of their own,” Shannon said during this month’s attorney general debate. “I’ve had the sheriffs escorting me to and from the courtroom, checking under my jeep to see if there’s a car bomb there. I’ve presented the photographs of children who were beaten to death by members of MS 13. I’ve been through that.”

The campaign went on to criticize Cuccinelli, saying that he “wants to use the position to push his own radical political agenda on the people of Virginia.”

Cuccinelli’s campaign did not respond to attempts to contact them, but throughout the campaign he has emphasized his experience as a court-appointed attorney for the mentally disabled and stressed the importance of his economic and social policies, and his ability to defend what he sees as critical constitutional issues, among them Virginia’s right-to-work laws.

“We need to reduce regulations and strip out those that don’t provide more of a benefit than a cost,” he said during this month’s attorney general debates. “I do not favor collective bargaining. I have a zero percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. My opponent has a 100 percent voting record with the AFL-CIO. That’s a job-killing record.”

Cuccinelli has also been a vigorous advocate of mental health reform, urging more “humane” treatment for the mentally disabled.

“I don’t want to minimize [mentally disabled defendants’] culpability,” Cuccinelli told the George Mason University College Republicans at their first October meeting. “But there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be in jail in the first place if it weren’t for their mental health issues. We need to change the statutes we have and get these folks treatment that is more appropriate. Deputies aren’t trained to deal with mental health issues, so they resort to things like imposed isolation to handle it, and that’s a problem. We need to deal with these people in a way that’s more…effective.”
Go here for more information on the Shannon and Cuccinelli campaigns.