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Herring Defeats Staton for Va.'s Senate 33rd District
Jan 31st - 8:50pm

By BOB LEWIS
AP Political Writer

Herring Defeats Staton for Va.'s Senate 33rd District

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Democrat Mark Herring easily defeated Republican Mick Staton in a special election Tuesday to fill a state Senate seat in a district where the GOP was once dominant.

With all 52 precincts reporting, Herring held 61.6 percent of the vote to 38.3 percent for Staton, according to unofficial totals posted by the State Board of Elections.

The sweeping Democratic victory comes after the party easily carried Loudoun and Fairfax counties _ areas the 33rd District seat encompasses _ in the governor's race and defeated a conservative GOP House of Delegates incumbent in November.

Loudoun is one of the nation's fastest-growing counties.

Both candidates focused on issues of unchecked suburban sprawl and traffic congestion that costs commuters in the Washington, D.C., outer suburbs hours of time weekly.

Herring and Staton are members of the board of supervisors in Loudoun County.

Staton and the GOP battled to keep their dominant 24 seats in the 40 member Senate, while Herring and the Democrats hoped to win a 17th seat and reduce the Republican majority.

Republican moderates hold the Senate's top leadership posts. They, along with Senate Democrats, have acted as a killing ground for some of the most conservative social and anti-tax legislation for the past half-dozen years. Herring's victory strengthens the hand of that coalition.

"This is devastating to the Republican right," said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

One reason the Democrats prevailed is the astounding population growth in Loudoun County has moderated the region's conservative bent, Sabato said. Another is sheer momentum from Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's victory, just as Republicans swept special elections in 1998 after Jim Gilmore's lopsided election as governor.

As of Jan. 23, Herring enjoyed a substantial fundraising advantage over Staton.

He had raised $156,280 in less than one month since Sen. Bill Mims, R-Loudoun, announced he was resigning to become chief counsel to Attorney General Bob McDonnell, according to campaign finance reports analyzed by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.

Staton raised $36,500 over the same period.

Bob Lewis has covered Virginia government and politics since 2000.
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Penny Adams
Virginia Freedom Riders - Legislative Officer

"Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians."
Chester Bowles (1901 - 1986)