Has Fairfax Turned Democrat?

   The results from Tuesday's 33rd Senate race could be a further sign of growing Democratic strength in the county.
   Overall, Herring beat Republican Mick Staton, Jr. 62 percent to 38 percent in the race to succeed William C. Mims, a Republican who resigned to become chief deputy attorney general. Most of the district is in Loudoun County, but the nine Fairfax precincts voted 67 percent to 32 percent for Herring.
   The Fairfax precincts generally are reliably Republican; when most of Fairfax went for Democrat John F. Kerry in the 2004 presidential campaign, seven of the nine precincts were captured by Republican George Bush. In last fall's gubernatorial race, Democrat Tim Kaine won all nine precincts.
   

  Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) said he believes that the Jan. 31 results, coupled with Kaine's huge win in Fairfax, is proof that county residents will support Democrats if those candidates emphasize practical issues such as transportation and education instead of ideological stands on abortion, capital punishment and other subjects.
  "The Republicans have to know that no corner of Fairfax is safe," Connolly said after viewing precinct results in the 33rd District race.
Here are those unofficial results:
Precinct/Herring/Staton
Floris         294         122
Fox Mill     479         231
Franklin      275        157
Frying Pan 165        59
Kinross        324        197
Lees Corner East  139   68
Lees Corner West 224   134
McNair       160        28
Navy           193         94   
Totals          2289      1103
Source: Virginia Board of Elections.

By Steve Fehr |  February 1, 2006; 7:07 PM ET  | Category:  Politics
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