Primary Election in Virginia's 2nd District

Virginia's 2^nd District which encompasses Virginia Beach, The Eastern Shore, Hampton and parts of Norfolk will go to the polls today, June 8th to vote for their Congressional Representatives. Five Republican candidates seek to defeat Glenn Nye (D) in the November election.

The district is home to several military bases and a large military retiree community. Military and veteran's issues are a major concern when residents go to vote in this area. Patricia Manu, who lives in the Lynnhaven area of Virginia Beach, says that she plans on voting for Republican Ben Loyola because she knows that he was in the Navy. She said that she didn't know too much about what else he was about but having someone who understands military issues and will support military families is important to her.

On Loyola's website, he discusses his military experience and how that plays into his plans for the nation's defense. "As a Naval Aviator and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I know what it means to fight for this country and I know what it means to believe in something. I know that the most important responsibility that the federal government has is to defend its citizens. A strong military to defend our borders is essential to the strength of the United States of America."

Manu isn't Loyola's only supporter; The Hampton Roads Tea Party has also endorsed the candidate. The biggest theme of this race has been bringing down big government. The race the has been framed as Loyola, being a entrepreneur and veteran being for the regular man, while the other candidates are just part of the establishment and big spending. Loyola has won over Tea Party members with his promise of tax cuts and a freeze on Federal Government employee hiring. Gary Pugliese, A native of Norfolk, Navy veteran and Hampton Roads Tea Party member supports his group's endorsement of Loyola. Pugliese is active with the group and believes that the Loyola is the right candidate to represent Virginia. "He has owned his own business and has served his country...He knows people but he will remember who put him in office". The Tea Party hosted a Cut the Pork Party in Virginia Beach where all 5 candidates sent representatives but still Loyola won out over the other 4 candidates. The Tea Party influence could be significant. The Tea Party had an influence on the outcome of several elections this year including the races in Utah and Texas.

Governor Bob McDonnell is endorsing candidate Scott Rignell. Rigell has raised more money than any other candidate. He has raised over $1.2 million dollar to run his campaign on. Rigell's campaign polled 300 voters who claimed that they were going to vote Republican. The poll resulted in Rigell earning 47% of the Republican vote; this percentage puts him as the leader of the 5 republican candidates. His campaign summarizes the results of the poll by saying: "Heading into the final weeks of the primary election, Scott Rigell owns strong advantages in both personal image and ballot strength over his primary opponents. Rigell is well-known and well-liked and his campaign message of creating jobs and fixing Washington DC is striking a cord with Republican primary voters. He owns a wide lead on the ballot test that cuts across every subgroup in the poll. There is no question; Scott Rigell has emerged as the clear front runner in this race." While Rigell tries to sell himself as the candidate for hard core Republicans, he has gotten some people talking because of his $1,000 donation to President Obama's campaign. He defended his action by saying that Clinton would have been a bad choice for America and he was just helping out. Rigell, also owns several car dealerships in the Hampton Roads area. His dealership participated in the controversial Obama administration's Cash for Clunkers program. Participation in this program only fuels the opposition's claims that he will not support spending reforms if he goes to Washington.

On Tuesday, I went to Holland Elementary School in Virginia Beach to vote for the Republican candidate. I went on my lunch hour. I counted only five voters ahead of me in line. The elementary school is a smaller polling location but three of the five candidates had representatives in the parking lot, waiting and hoping to say a few words about their candidates to voters who were passing by. The representatives were polite and not confrontational. Loyola's representative asked if I would vote for him and I said yes. I am certain that the other representatives heard this and decided not to question my choice. I saw a representative for Brigadier General Bert Mizusawa showing a voter a pamphlet for his candidate and discussing Mizusawa would cut spending in Washington.
The results of the 2nd District Race will not be available until late tonight but it is certain, the candidate who does win, will win because they were able to convince voters that they understand that voters do not want to pay more taxes to a wasteful federal government.