The 5th district Broyhill development mentioned above has potentially very significant ramifications for Vernon Robinson's candidacy, which many of my pingees are interested in. We are now guaranteed a runoff (no candidate with 40%) but how much of a base Foxx and Broyhill share is beyond my knowledge of the candidates and district. Both are threats to reach the runoff, but if they split support they could ensure Vernon makes the runoff. Prognostication is pretty much guesswork at this point.
About the statewide races, we're starting to put together a good slate of candidates:
Governor: Ballantine or Cobey, most likely
Lt Guv: Bill Boyd, conservative former legislator, cancer survivor and head (?) of the state Christian Coalition but Harold Brubaker (RINO ringleader) ally plus probably state rep Gregg Thompson.
Treasurer: Greensboro lawyer and business owner Ed Meyer, bidding to become the first (?) statewide elected Hispanic (though he's not pushing that angle) -- he's a pro-life Catholic Reagan conservative, and he'd probably be the first statewide elected one of those too!
Auditor: Les Merritt is running again after losing by 0.5% in 2000
Agriculture: Steve Troxler is running again after losing by a similar tiny margin in 2000
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Michael Barrick is running again after losing by a small margin to an incumbent -- the seat is now open.
Attorney General: See article above
Secretary of State: no takers so far?
Labor: incumbent Republican Cherie Berry
Insurance: no takers so far
Barrick, Merritt, and Troxler are all strong candidates who were hurt by (Vinroot) a weak top (Vinroot) of the ticket (Vinroot) in 2000, as the Dems almost swept the statewide races.
We can only hope. Actually Virginia didn't have much of a chance anyway. She can't really raise any money and once her true beliefs are made public, she'll have a hard time even getting invites on the rubber-chicken circuit. There is a whole contingent in Stokes and Surry counties ready to make sure everyone knows Virginia's true stripes.
I would guess the 5th district race would now come down to Snyder, Robinson, and Broyhill. Snyder is going to have a tough time beating back reminders of his "carpetbagger" campaing tactics against Dole when it is made widely known that he doesn't even live in the district. I like him, but the rumblings on the street are that he has a tough row to hoe.
I know almost nothing about Broyhill. Can anyone fill me in?