Though the votes are still being tallied, the major election results are already known.
Republican Ken Boyd has secured a third term representing the Rivanna district on the Board of Supervisors, defeating Democratic challenger Cynthia Neff. But down in the Scottsville district, Democrat Chris Dumler has defeated Republican James Norwood. That means that the Board of Supervisors now has three Democrats and three Republicans, which is bound to affect their agenda. (That’s an oversimplification—one of those Democrats is actually an independent, and Lindsay Dorrier was technically a Democrat but voted like a Republican.)
The three Democrats swept the City Council race, putting the Huja-Galvin-Smith ticket into office over the handful of independents in the race.
In state-level races, it’s no surprise that Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. David Toscano won reelection handily, but it is surprising that odds-on favorite Connie Brennan, a Democrat, was defeated by scandal-plagued Republican Matt Farris in the 59th House district, despite the presence of a conservative independent who sapped some votes from Farris. The Senate race pitting incumbent Democrat Edd Houck against Republican challenger Bryce Reeves has proven to be a nail-biter. With 91% of precincts reporting, Houck is up by just 37 votes, making a recount a near-certainty. If Republicans take one or two other Senate seats in Virginia, then the Houck-Reeves race will quickly become very important, because it would decide control of that chamber.
In down-ticket local races in the city, Democrat Llezelle Dugger won Charlottesville Clerk of Court with 75% of the vote over Democrat-turned-independent Pam Melampy. Colette Blount, Amy Laufer, Jennifer McKeever and Willa Neale won the Charlottesville School Board race. And in the county, Ned Gallaway won the at-large school board seat, and Lonnie Murray and Steven Meeks won the Soil and Water Conservation Director seats.
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