The following offices were up for election in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

in the November 2009

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

: *Three statewide offices –

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

– for four-year terms *

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, the lower house of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 1 ...

(100 seats), for two-year terms *Four local constitutional officers each in the larger

independent cities An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

–

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Commonwealth's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

, Commissioner of the Revenue – for four-year terms

Schedule of election related events

The Virginia State Board of Elections set the following calendar of events for the November 2009 election: *March 11 – Deadline for political party officials to request

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s from the State Board of Elections *April 10 – Filing deadline for primary election candidates *May 11 –

Voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote. The r ...

deadline for primary election *June 2 – Application deadline for primary election mail-in

absentee ballot An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online vot ...

*June 6 – Application deadline for primary election in-person absentee ballot *June 9 – Primary elections; deadline for parties to select candidates by non-primary methods; filing deadline for

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

candidates *October 5 – Voter registration deadline for general election *October 27 – Application deadline for general election mail-in absentee ballot *October 31 – Application deadline for general election in-person absentee ballot *November 3 – General election In addition, candidates must file campaign finance reports with the state or local election boards at certain specified intervals during the campaign year. The three incumbent statewide officeholders and members of the General Assembly are barred by law from fundraising during the annual session of the General Assembly, from mid-January through roughly the end of February. Sufficiently large political parties (in practice, the

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and Republican parties) have the option of nominating candidates in primary elections. Nominees not chosen in primaries are selected in a

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

convention Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law * Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...

process. Incumbent members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

and the General Assembly have the option of choosing their party's nominating method for their office; otherwise, the decision is made by a committee of party officials from the jurisdiction involved. Persons 18 years old or older on the general election date (born on or before November 3, 1991) may register and vote in both the primary and general elections. Voters in Virginia do not register by party; they have the option of voting in any one party's primary, and may switch at will from one election to the next.

Issues

Reapportionment

In 2011 the General Assembly will redraw district boundaries for seats in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

, the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

, and the House of Delegates, based on results of the 2010 United States Census. This is a highly partisan process, which can determine the balance of power in those bodies for up to ten years. There are three major players in the process: *Senate – barring unforeseen circumstances, the current senators will still be in office in 2011. Democrats currently have a 22-18 majority. *House of Delegates – Republicans have a 53-45 majority, with 2 independents who caucus with the Republicans. The 2009 election will determine control in 2011. *Governor – the incumbent, Democrat

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgin ...

, is not allowed to serve successive terms.

Governor

File:Creigh Deeds.jpg, Creigh Deeds (D) File:Bob_McDonnell_2007.jpg, Bob McDonnell (R) ;Party nominees: *The Republican Party formally nominated former Attorney General

Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. His career ended after his corruption scandal and convi ...

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous cit ...

, who was unopposed for the nomination, at the May 29–30 state party convention. McDonnell resigned as Virginia's Attorney General on February 3, 2009, to concentrate on the gubernatorial campaign.McDonnell accepts GOP nomination for Va. governor
/ref> *The Democratic Party nominated

Creigh Deeds Robert Creigh Deeds (; born January 4, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a member of the Senate of Virginia representing the 25th district since 2001. Previously, he was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Virgini ...

, Democrat from Bath County – senator since 2002 following 10 years in the House; unsuccessful Democratic nominee for attorney general in 2005, after he captured the nomination in the Democratic Primary on June 9, 2009 ;Former candidates for the Democratic Party nomination: *

Terry McAuliffe Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 ...

, Democrat from

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, ...

– political consultant, former

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

chair, recently Presidential campaign manager for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

; created a campaign committee on November 11, 2008 * Brian Moran, Democrat from

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

– 7 term House member and House Democratic caucus chair; younger brother of U.S. Representative

Jim Moran James Patrick Moran Jr. (born May 16, 1945) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from 1985 to 1990, and as the U.S. representative for (including the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlingt ...

. Resigned from House of Delegates December 12, 2008 to concentrate on campaign

Lieutenant governor

File:Bill Bolling.jpg, Bill Bolling (R) File:Jody Wagner 2008-08-20.jpg, Jody Wagner (D) ;Party nominees: *Former state Secretary of Finance

Jody Wagner Jody Moses Wagner (born August 6, 1955) is an American politician from Virginia Beach, Virginia. A Democrat, she served as State Treasurer of Virginia from January 2002 to January 2006, and as Virginia Secretary of Finance in the Cabinet of Govern ...

, who resigned her position on August 8, 2008 to run, won the June 9 primary to be the Democratic Party nominee. Previously she was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate in

Virginia's 2nd congressional district Virginia's second congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It currently encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York Counties; all of the independent cities of Virginia Beach and William ...

in 2000. *The Republican Party nominated incumbent Lt. Governor and former State Senator Bill Bolling of Hanover County at the party's May 29–30 convention. ;Former candidates: * Jon Bowerbank, a Democratic energy industry engineer/entrepreneur, won election to the Russell County Board of Supervisors in November 2007 and began campaigning for lieutenant governor in May 2008. After getting his name on the primary ballot, Bowerbank withdrew on May 15, 2009, endorsing Wagner. * Pat Edmonson, a Virginia Beach School Board member, announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination on January 12, 2009, saying voters were "ready for a progressive voice" She failed to file the proper candidate paperwork with the state by the April 10, 2009 deadline, making her ineligible for the primary, * Patrick C. Muldoon of Giles County, an unsuccessful Republican nominee in Virginia's 9th congressional district in 1996, filed on November 11, 2008, but lost the convention vote to Bolling. * Rich Savage, a Democratic professional campaign consultant from Richmond, announced his candidacy on January 2, 2009 but suspended his campaign on March 6, citing financial pressures caused by the worsening economy. * Mike Signer of Arlington, a former deputy counselor to

Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th govern ...

on Homeland Security and National Guard policy and senior strategist for Tom Perriello, lost the June 9 Democratic primary to Wagner.

Election results

Democratic primary

Official result

General election

Polling

Democratic primary

General election

Attorney general

File:Wikicuccinelli.jpg, Ken Cuccinelli (R) File:Steve Shannon 2008-09-01.jpg, Steve Shannon (D) ;Party nominees: *The Democratic Party nominee is State Delegate and former assistant Commonwealth's Attorney

Steve Shannon Stephen Charles "Steve" Shannon (born April 5, 1971) is an American attorney and Circuit Court Judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. From 2004 to 2009, Shannon represented Virginia's 35th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. He ...

of Fairfax County. Shannon announced his candidacy in the fall of 2008, and as the only candidate who filed for the Democratic primary, became the Democratic nominee by default. *The Republican Party nominee is State Senator

Ken Cuccinelli Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli II ( ; born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he ...

of Fairfax County; Cuccinelli announced April 1, 2008, and won the nomination at the May 29–30 Republican convention. *Both candidates, Cuccinelli (Class of 1986) and Shannon (Class of 1989), attended

Gonzaga College High School Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16 ...

in Washington, D.C. ;Former candidates: *

John L. Brownlee John Leslie Brownlee (born January 31, 1965) (payment required) is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 2001 to 2008. He has since worked as the chair of the National White Collar ...

of Roanoke is a former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Western District of Virginia who resigned on May 16, 2008 to run for the Republican Party nomination, but lost the convention vote to Cuccinelli. *John Fishwick, an attorney from Roanoke and unsuccessful 1992 Democratic candidate for the

, set up a committee to run for the Democratic nomination in October 2008 but withdrew on January 5, 2009. * David M. Foster of Arlington, an

antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

with Fulbright & Jaworski in Washington, D.C. and former Arlington County

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional ar ...

chair ran for the Republican nomination but lost the convention vote to Cuccinelli.

General election results

Polling

General election

House of Delegates

Special elections

*81st district (Virginia Beach,

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: * Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay * Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated p ...

) – fifth-term Republican Terrie Suit, chair of the General Laws committee, resigned on October 12, 2008 to take a job as a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

. A special election was set for January 6, 2009. Barry Knight, a hog

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

and member of the Virginia Beach Planning Commission, was selected as the Republican nominee in a

firehouse primary {{Short description, Election run by a political party to select a candidate or nominee for a later general election A firehouse primary, also called a firehouse caucus or "unassembled caucus", is a term sometimes used in the United States to descr ...

on November 29, 2008. On December 4, the Democrats nominated John LaCombe, a 24-year-old payday lending activist. Knight won the special election by an 83-17 margin. *70th district ( Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield Counties) –

Dwight Clinton Jones Dwight Clinton Jones (born February 3, 1948) is an American politician and pastor who served as the 79th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia. Jones took office on January 1, 2009, was inaugurated for his second term on January 12, 2013, and was succeed ...

, a Democrat in his eighth term, was elected mayor of Richmond on November 4, 2008. This special election was also scheduled for January 6, 2009. On December 6, 2008, the Democratic Party nominated Delores McQuinn, a member of Richmond City Council, for the seat. McQuinn was unopposed in the special election. *46th district (Alexandria, Fairfax County) – Brian Moran resigned his seat December 12, 2008 to concentrate on his campaign for governor. A special election was called for January 13, 2009. Both major parties held nominating caucuses on December 16, 2008. The Democratic nominee was Charniele Herring, an attorney from Alexandria. The Republicans nominated Joe Murray, an aide to U. S. Representative Joe Wilson of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

. Herring won the election by 16 votes; the House, under Republican control, refused to seat her pending a recount requested by Murray. Herring was finally seated after a recount on January 26.

Retirements

, ten House members had announced they would not run for re-election: * Albert C. Eisenberg (D-Arlington) on January 22 * Frank D. Hargrove, Sr. (R-Hanover) on January 26 *

Jeffrey M. Frederick Jeffrey M. Frederick (born September 23, 1975) is an American politician, CEO, entrepreneur, and craft beer brewery owner. He served three terms as a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Frederick was also chairman of the Rep ...

(R-Woodbridge) on February 13. *

Kenneth R. Melvin Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Melvin (born September 18, 1952) is an American politician, lawyer and jurist. Career Melvin was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He served as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Portsmouth f ...

(D-Portsmouth) on February 24 * William H. Fralin, Jr. (R-Roanoke) on February 28 * Clarke N. Hogan (R-Halifax) on March 9. *Former Minority Leader

Franklin P. Hall Franklin Perkins Hall (December 13, 1938 – May 26, 2015) was an American politician. A Democrat, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 1976–2009, serving as minority leader 2002–07.Virginia House of Delegates; Frank ...

(D-Richmond) on March 28. Hall announced his retirement effective April 14, 2009. Governor Kaine immediately announced Hall's appointment to the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, effective the same date *

(D-Fairfax) is the Democratic nominee for attorney general. * Kris Amundson (D-Fairfax) announced her retirement on June 24, 2009 * Chris Saxman (R-Staunton) announced his retirement on July 17, 2009 In addition, Bob Hull (D-Fairfax) was defeated for renomination by Kaye Kory in the June 9 primary.

Notes

References

Code of Virginia, Title 24.2 – ElectionsVirginia State Board of Elections: 2009 Election Calendar; for all offices elected in November

External links

*Voter resources
Virginia Voter Registration Form
- Deadline to register is Monday, October 5
Voter Registration Information
- Find out if you are registered at the Election and Registration Information System
Polling Place Search

Imagine Election
- Find out about the people on your ballot, based on your zip code
Virginia Public Access Project
- Campaign finance information about candidates, committees, donors, etc. *Campaign websites
Creigh Deeds for Governor
- Democratic
Bob McDonnell for Governor
- Republican
Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor
- Republican
Jody Wagner for Lieutenant Governor
- Democratic
Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General
- Republican
Steve Shannon for Attorney General
- Democratic {{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia Elections, 2009

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...