Thelma Drake, foreground, thanks supporters at a victory party Tuesday night. Republicans in the district kept allegiance to the party, helping her defeat Democratic challenger David Ashe. BILL TIERNAN/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Posted on 11/04/2004 10:54:14 AM PST by 11th_VA
VIRGINIA BEACH — Becky Grandi, chairwoman of the city’s Democratic Party, went to a bar Tuesday night after a long day at the polls and a dispiriting post-election party.
Her candidate, David Ashe, had just lost by 10 percentage points to Republican Thelma Drake in the race for the 2nd Congressional District.
Between drinks, she told the bartender that her job was to help get Democrats elected in Virginia Beach. His response: “Do you have a tough job.”
Republicans continued to show strength in the region, preserving congressional districts based largely in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
Although national Democrats spent money on the 2nd District race in the campaign’s last several weeks, the commitment proved unsuccessful.
Local Republicans attribute their victory to strength of issues and their candidate’s experience.
“We’re running on issues,” said Michael Ball, chairman of the 2nd District Republican Committee. “We’re running on a core set of values.”
Drake won Virginia Beach by 55 percent to 45 percent, according to unofficial results from the state Board of Elections. The city makes up about two-thirds of the congressional district.
Still, Ashe fared better than Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, who won just 40 percent of the Virginia Beach vote.
Grandi said she was encouraged that some voters split their tickets, voting for President Bush and Ashe. “To me, that says he did take away some Republican votes,” she said.
But Grandi also believes that GOP voter loyalty helped Drake during a short campaign in a Republican-heavy district.
Drake, who has represented part of Norfolk for five terms in the General Assembly, won her home city by 54 percent to 45 percent.
Ball said Drake’s experience mattered to voters.
In addition to her legislative record, Drake, a real estate agent, has been involved in community and business groups throughout the region. “Experience counts,” he said.
Drawing the legislative boundaries for congressional districts also counts, said Quentin Kidd, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University. With Drake’s victory, he said, “the fundamentals really held.”
Republicans redrew the district lines in 2001, making the 2nd District safer for their candidate . Before retiring Congressman Ed Schrock won the seat, Democrat Owen Pickett and Republican William Whitehurst, both political moderates, had represented the district.
When Drake replaced Schrock on the ballot in September, the party quickly funded and supported her candidacy. Mark McKinney, chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Committee, said the party rallied around the candidate.
He said the race was intense, but “continued hard work pays off.”
The Republicans also had several experienced candidates willing to run for Congress. The Democrats, with just one elected citywide officeholder – city Commissioner of Revenue Philip Kellam – have had a more difficult time finding candidates.
Kidd said experienced candidates do better. He suggested that the Democrats develop a farm team of elected officials and support School Board and City Council candidates.
Despite the results, Grandi said, the party would like to build on the enthusiasm of Tuesday’s election. “It’s a long process,” she said.
BTW - This seat openned in August when Congressman Schrock was exposed for solicting sex from men. She just jumped in the race in August !!!
Thelma Drake, foreground, thanks supporters at a victory party Tuesday night. Republicans in the district kept allegiance to the party, helping her defeat Democratic challenger David Ashe. BILL TIERNAN/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
I am unfortunate because I live in the Ghetto district of Bobby Scott.
Thelma Drake was definitely helped by that cutie George Allen.
I hope he runs for President so we can have some nice eye candy. Hehe! Oops did I say that? I would love to see him run because I care about his platform on the blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Awwwww....Hehe!
I voted for her, but thought it was a lost cause. Shrock retired after he was "outed" in the middle of the election season, and Thelma joined in about 2 weeks later. She had little time to ramp up, was constantly sandbagged by Ashe supporters on her radio interviews, and sometimes seemed a little lost in the process.
I thought Ashe did a reasonably good job of campaigning, pushing his military experience and concerns with Veteran's Affairs. But, like most Dems, he completely lost me when it came time to discuss taxes, pushing the class warfare button and blaming woes on eeeevil Rich People. Every time someone called WNIS (he and Thelma were frequest guests) to ask about his tax position, he went on about the Rich making money on the backs of the poooor, the Bush Tax Fraud, how no one was helped, etc. But he couldn't tap-dance that fast.
Anyhow, good luck Thelma.
Allen is one of the potential candidates that I might like to see run for President, but he'll first have to win reelection to the Senate in two year. I assume he'll have to face off against current gov Warner.
Former CBS news affiliate ... LOL !!!!
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