State and National Government
Rep. Morgan Griffith
Whatever the extent of any “blue wave” in the country or in Virginia, it certainly hasn’t hit the 9th Congressional District. Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith was re-elected to a fifth term yesterday — and did so by gaining almost two thirds of the vote:
Griffith defeated Democrat Anthony Flaccavento for a second time; the first was in 2012. The district runs basically from the U.S. 220 corridor westward to the Kentucky and Tennessee lines.
G Marrano photo
UPDATE: Roanoke County saw a bumper crop of early morning voters who often had to wait in long lines. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Anyone in line by 7:00 pm will be able to cast a vote, even if takes past 7:00 to do so.
PREVIOUS: Early indications point to a heavy voter turnout in today’s elections. In Roanoke County, some extra waits — more than 30 minutes this morning, for instance at the Castle Rock precinct near Cave Spring Middle School. The county’s Voter Registrar’s office says one reason for the lines is that voter roll laptops crashed today, so they are now using paper poll books the rest of the day.
Photo: Evan Jones
Voters in the Roanoke area will select candidates in one of three Congressional districts in the region: the 5th, 6th and 9th Districts. Voters living in the House of Delegates 8th District will also take part in a special election to fill the seat left vacant when Greg Habeeb left his position in August. Senator Tim Kaine is seeking a second term, facing a challenge from Republican Corey Stewart. There are also two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution on the statewide ballot.
This is election day in Virginia and nationwide as Americans decide which party will control the House of Representatives for the next two years. Several Virginia seats are considered among those as candidates for “flips” to Democrats. While polls continue to project a Democratic majority come January, our political analyst says things may end up closer than those polls predict. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Voters in the Roanoke area will select candidates in one of three Congressional districts in the region: the 5th, 6th and 9th Districts. Voters living in the House of Delegates 8th District will also take part in a special election to fill the seat left vacant when Greg Habeeb left his position in August. Senator Tim Kaine is seeking a second term, facing a challenge from Republican Corey Stewart. There are also two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution on the statewide ballot.
Elections officials will be busy today preparing for tomorrow’s voting. It involves moving all the moving all the voting equipment into place — and keeping it secure. They say with all Virginia localities now back to using paper-based voting recording systems, there is no chance that any outside person or body can hack into the voting machines. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
Photo: Corey Stewart Facebook
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Conservative provocateur Corey Stewart started his U.S. Senate bid last year as a longshot, promising to run a “vicious” and “ruthless” crusade against Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine in a style similar to President Donald Trump.
With just days to go until Election Day, there’s little sign those Trump-like tactics — including personal attacks on Kaine and his son — have found purchase in increasingly blue Virginia.
Stewart is down in most polls, starved for cash and shunned by fellow GOP congressional candidates. Republicans openly worry Stewart will hurt down-ballot candidates facing stiff competition in several Virginia congressional districts as Democrats try to take control of the U.S. House.
“Without a lot of top-of-the-ticket support, these congressional candidates have really got to grind it out,” former White House adviser Steve Bannon recently told a local talk radio host.
Stewart’s devotion to Trump has gotten little in return from the White House. Vice President Mike Pence recently campaigned for a little-known, longshot Virginia congressional candidate in a heavily Democratic district, but has done no events with Stewart.
On top of it all, Stewart said he recently lost a major client at his international trade law firm because of the campaign.
“I’ve lost a lot of money because of this,” Stewart said in an interview, adding he’ll be facing “some painful years” if he loses.
Stewart declined to name the client or the reason why the client left, but the immigration hardliner and outspoken advocate of Confederate imagery has been a magnet for controversy.
Critics have routinely labeled Stewart, who also chairs the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, an opportunist trying to use racial discord for political gain. His main Republican primary opponent accused him of “dog-whistling” to win support from white supremacists, anti-Semites and racists. Stewart has had to disavow past associates, including Jason Kessler, the major organizer of last year’s violent protests in Charlottesville.
“This is an individual who is a lawyer, and a Georgetown grad, he knows who these people are, he knows what they stand for,” Kaine said of Stewart at a debate.
Kaine’s campaign message centers on fostering a “Virginia that works for all.”
A former governor and lieutenant governor seeking a second Senate term, Kaine has never lost a statewide election in Virginia. But having been Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, he’s keenly aware of the threat of an upset. Kaine has kept a full campaign schedule and amassed a war chest 10 times the size of Stewart’s. Kaine has used the money to blanket the state with ads, while Stewart only recently started limited circulation of television ads.
Kaine has frequently campaigned with Democratic congressional candidates, spending much of the past week supporting Democrats in deep-red, rural districts.
On Monday, he did three events with Jennifer Lewis, a Democrat running in a western Virginia district that Trump won by about 25 percentage points. She said Kaine was the first person to call her when she won her primary, and has given helpful advice since.
“When he shows up, it definitely increases the crowd for sure,” Lewis said.
Stewart says he’s not bothered that other Republicans aren’t campaigning with him, and he insists the polls are wrong.
“I’m all in, there’s nothing to go back to,” Stewart said. “I mean, I’m all in, I’ve got to win … My life is forever changed with this race.”
Stewart was in good spirits after a Virginia Deer Hunters Association banquet outside Richmond recently. As rifles, crossbows and paintings of Trump and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee were auctioned, Stewart was peppered with encouragement while he walked table-to-table, shaking hands and posing for photos.
“Don’t back down, buddy,” one woman yelled.
“We are rooting for you, yes we are,” another woman said.
Some praised Stewart as a principled candidate who isn’t afraid of controversial stances. Others praised his support of Trump and said they felt good about Stewart’s chances.
“I believe it’s neck and neck,” said Al Wilder, an Army veteran from Chesterfield.
Stewart said the warm reception shows his campaign’s hidden momentum that polls don’t capture.
But the crowd of 1,000 mostly white hunters represents a shrinking slice of the Old Dominion. Demographic changes have helped make Virginia a reliable win for Democrats. No Republican has won a statewide office in nearly a decade.
Stewart is finishing with a “Jobs, Not Mobs” tour around Virginia, and he still hopes the president may join him.
“We’re hoping he’s going to be here, but look, he’s got a whole country to run,” Stewart said.
Republican 8th District House of Delegates candidate Joe McNamara says one of his top priorities if he gets elected on Tuesday would be giving any unused money back to taxpayers. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Photo: Flacc4Congress Facebook
Democrat Anthony Flaccavento is trying for a second time to unseat Republican Morgan Griffith in the 9th Congressional District. He got less than 40% the first time around, but he says there is a lot that is different this time. For starters, he says, Griffith now has an eight-year record, and it is not a good one. Flaccavento has outraised Griffith in recent months and hopes the voting numbers will follow the same trend. WFIR’s Evan Jones has our campaign profile:
Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl, courtesy of Bread for the World
Congressman Morgan Griffith’s claim that the GOP tax cuts are working for businesses is being disputed by his Democratic challenger in next week’s election. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
The full interview with Anthony Flaccavento can be heard below
We are a week away from election day – when the Congressional seat being vacated by Bob Goodlatte will be decided. More on the Democratic contender, Jennifer Lewis, in a GOP-leaning 6th district from WFIR’s Gene Marrano: