Virginia Lt. Gov. Race: Chopra Narrowly Outraises Northam in First Quarter

Both Democratic candidates raised just over $449,000, but Aneesh Chopra has more cash on hand.

Aneesh Chopra, one of two Democratic hopefuls for Lt. Governor of Virginia, is ahead of Ralph Northam in the race for campaign funds. Chopra began the year with a starting balance of $714,864 and then raised another $449,915 through March 31, according to finance reports on the Virginia Public Access Project. Northam began the year with a balance of $0 and raised $449,542 through March 31 — just below what Chopra raised. The two hopefuls are the only Democratic candidates gunning for Virginia's open Lt. Governor position, which will be vacated by Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) next year. A single Democratic candidate will be selected in a primary June 11. There are a also a number of candidates vying for the Republican nomination, which will be…

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Mark Warner Announces He Will Not Run For Governor

Warner says he wants to continue his work in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., announced Tuesday that he will not run for governor in 2013, saying that he wants to continue the work he was sent to do in Washington. Warner, in a statement issued shortly after 3 p.m., said Virginians of all political stripes have approached him over the past year to make the bid — which he said he would consider and then make a decision after the November election. "I’ve talked to a lot of Virginians I respect, and I’ve talked about it with my family," Warner said in a statement. "But when I asked Virginians to hire me as their Senator, I made a promise to come to Washington to try to be a problem solver.  I have to admit, it’s been tougher than I expected.  But I’ve tried to keep at it." Warner's decision…

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Kuesters Assault Charge Dismissed

School board candidate for Broad Run and wife appear together at Chamber forum.

Broad Run School Board candidate Kevin Kuesters and his wife, Piper, sat together at the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce School Board Candidates Forum Nov. 1, just one day after an assault charge against Kuesters was dismissed. Kuesters wife initially filed the complaint against her husband that stated she was dragged was dragged a short distance after Kevin Kuesters sped away during an argument. Kevin and Piper issued statements in support of the dismissal. Read the Loudoun Times-Mirror's full story.

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Letter to the Editor

Reader Offers Support to Pierce

Transportation is the primary concern for resident who questions Volpe's record.

When I moved to Loudoun in 2007, I was struck by how beautiful a suburb could be. I called it Pleasantville, after the movie, with its lush trees, flower gardens, gorgeous landscaping, bike trails, walking trails, and, of course, Algonkian Park. I also noticed that traffic wasn’t that bad. Sure, Route 7 was a nightmare during rush hours, but most other times it was reasonable. Sadly, my Pleasantville experience was short lived. Now, there is heavy traffic, everywhere, all the time, even right outside my door on Algonkian Parkway, which my wife now calls the “Route 7 Bypass.” “We can thank all the misguided development approvals under previously Republican-controlled planning commissions,” my wife, a Loudoun veteran, explained to me. She …

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Pierce Aims to Bring in Business, Slow Growth

The Democrat candidate for Algonkian supervisor cites improved transportation among the Loudoun's greatest needs.

Denise Moore Pierce has worked on numerous political campaigns in the past, but this election marks her first as a candidate. Pierce was already in the race for the Algonkian District Supervisor position, but became even more motivated after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli introduced GOP nominee Suzanne Volpe at a kickoff event. “I hope that whomever may ultimately choose to run against her hears about this so that they can run scared and perhaps just run home,” Cuccinelli said. “I couldn’t believe the attorney general would say something like that,” Pierce, now the Democratic nominee, said. “If I have stood for anything for the past 15 years and don’t take on that challenge, then what have I been doing?” Since entering the race, Pierce …

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Write-in Candidate Launches School Board Campaign

Maloney announcement follows arrest of current candidate, who had been unopposed.

Joy Maloney today threw her hat in the ring as a write-in candidate for the Broad Run seat on the Loudoun School Board. She now gives competition to Kevin Kuesters, who will be the only candidate for that seat with a name on the ballot. Maloney, a 40-year-old software developer for a government contractor, worked for five years as a high school math teacher before going into IT. She said in a press release that residents persuaded her to enter the race after Kuesters was arrested for simple assault. “It had already bothered me that my opponent sent all three of his children to private school,” Maloney said. “After he was arrested, several Broad Run residents encouraged me to commit to serving our community as it deserves.” Maloney, a …

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Letter to the Editor

Williams Makes Position on OpenBand Clear

The Broad Run supervisor candidate said he was not given the opportunity to sign Southern Walk HOA letter to the editor.

This morning, I became aware of a letter that was published on Ashburn Patch site. I am an active officer on the Southern Walk Board of Directors (SWBOD) with the position of Secretary and was not afforded an opportunity to either review or sign off on the letter to the editor dated 10/7/11 from the SWBOD. I have publicly stated that I would not support the renewal of the franchise agreement and I have pledged to not take M.C. Dean, OpenBand or Van Metre money in my campaign for Broad Run supervisor and I have honored that pledge. I would encourage an inquiry be made as to whether the same commitment has been made by my opponents in Broad Run. It would appear that a person that I have fought alongside for the last two years on the Southern…

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McGimsey Touts Background, Experience in Campaign

Broad Run supervisor candidate pushes back against Independent opponent Keirce.

Potomac Supervisor Andrea McGimsey faces a three-way race and a slew of new voters in her bid for a second term on the Loudoun Board of Supervisors. After redistricting, the incumbent Democrat found herself written into a new district – the Sterling and newly created Algonkian districts essentially swallowed Potomac. So McGimsey is running for the Broad Run seat. McGimsey ensures that her campaign will be focused on the issues during the election season. She sees traffic and economic development as the two chief issues in Ashburn, and she plans to address them both, if elected Broad Run supervisor. A former Ashburn resident, McGimsey believes she’s amply suited to the serve the district – which includes the Metrorail extension planned to …

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Letourneau Points to Experience in Dulles Supervisor Campaign

The Republican nominee calls his family a reflection of the district.

Matt Letourneau hopes that youth will be his ticket to a seat on the Loudoun Board of Supervisors. Running as the Republican nominee for Dulles District supervisor position, Letourneau said he would represent the many young professionals and young families that make up a large portion of the county. “I’m in a situation with three young kids and a pretty lengthy commute,” Letourneau said. “This is a young district, and the demographics are similar to my family. It would be a benefit to have someone on the Board living the same life as many people in the community.” Letourneau currently works at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and in this role, he says he gained understanding about how government and business should work together. He sees …

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