Information Charlottesville

There’s a little more specificity now for who will be on general election ballots for some legislative races in our area. 

Fifth District Republicans held a convention at Buckingham County High School on Saturday for Senate District 10 and a majority of participants selected Delegate John McGuire in a four-way race.  /

Senator Bryce Reeves won a firehouse primary to be the Republican nominee for the new Senate District 28, according to the Rappahannock News. Reeves has represented the former 17th District for three terms. The new district includes Greene County, as well as Orange, Madison, and Culpeper. He defeated Mike Allers on a three to one margin according to the Virginia Public Access Project. 

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In another race between two Democrats fighting for a safe seat, Delegate Sally Hudson opted to not seek another term but instead sought a challenge with Senator Creigh Deeds for the new Senate District 11. The new boundaries cover all of Charlottesville and Albemarle County as well as Amherst County and Nelson County. 

Creigh Deeds had a starting balance of $293,131 as of January 1, 2023. His campaign raised $238,877 in cash from 392 donors with 215 of those over the $100 threshold to be identified.  There are six contributions of $10,000 including one from the Clean Virginia Fund. Deeds spent $109,106 in the period including a $15,000 contribution to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus. Deeds had a balance of $422,902 as of March 31, 2023.

Sally Hudson began the year with $149,701 and raised $78,324 from a total of 344 donors. Eighty-one of them exceeded the $100 threshold including a $20,000 contribution from Ted Weschler. Her campaign spent $88,839 and reported $7,302 in in-kind expenses. Hudson closed the period out with $139,383 in the bank.

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There are two Democrats vying for the nomination for House District 55 which includes most of Albemarle County, a portion of western Louisa County, and a portion of northeastern Nelson County. Also a very small sliver of Fluvanna County. 

Both candidates raised a lot of money for a nomination contest that may lead to an easy victory in the fall. Delegate Rob Bell opted to retire rather than seek reelection.

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There are three Democrats seeking the party’s place on the ballot in the open race for the House District 54 which includes all of Charlottesville and parts of urbanized Albemarle County. 

Rio District School Board Member Katrina Callsen began the year with $10,509 in her campaign account. She raised $86,601 in cash from 178 donors and received $11,889 in in-kind contributions of more than $100. Add in one in-kind contribution of exactly $100 and that’s a total of $98,590. 

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Late last week, Delegate Rob Bell announced he would not seek re-election to another term in the General Assembly. Bell was first elected in 2001 when he defeated Democrat Charles Martin with 59.9 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2013, and 2015. In the years he faced a contested election, he secured between 62 percent and 67 percent of the vote. 

On the final day of the General Assembly last Saturday, Bell addressed the House of Delegates to explain he is retiring to devote more time to his family and thanked his wife Jessica. 

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And then there were four, though that number could still change.

Former Charlottesville City Councilor David Brown has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for House District 54. 

“This will be a very competitive primary, and I realize that I am not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed,” wrote in an email to supporters. “I will continue to be involved in helping our community address the serious challenges we face, but will look for opportunities locally instead of in Richmond.” 

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So far, there are no candidates who have filed to run for Charlottesville City Council this year, but two former members are now in the race for House District 54. 

Dave Norris served on Council from July 2006 until the end of 2013 and has filed a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. 

“I am pleased to have served the Charlottesville-Albemarle community in a variety of ways over the past 30 years, and I look forward to building upon my track record of proven progressive leadership if elected to the Virginia General Assembly,” Norris wrote on his campaign website. 

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As of Wednesday morning, no one had filed to run for any of the three Council seats up for election this year. There’s a lot more interest in replacing Sally Hudson as the Delegate representing Charlottesville in the House of Delegates with two candidates previously announced.

This week, former Charlottesville Mayor David E. Brown filed for the seat. Brown served on Council from July 1, 2004 to December 31, 2011 and spent the last several years as director of the Virginia Department of Health Professions before Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed a replacement last November. Before that, Brown spent two years as an assistant to former Delegate David Toscano, according to his LinkedIn page. 

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