Scott Surovell, the former chairman of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, was formally named the party's nominee in the race for the 44th House of Delegates district today.

Surovell threw his name in the ring after Del. Kris Amundson (D) announced late last month that she would not run for reelection this year for financial reasons. Surovell now faces off against Republican Jay McConville and Independent Green Party candidate Glenda Gail Parker in the fall.

Vice President Joe Biden issued a statement today "applauding" Virginia for finalizing, with 12 days to spare, its list of transportation projects to be funded under the federal stimulus plan.

OK, every state probably got its own "way-to-go" letter (as evidenced by the link above, which will send you to a generic version of the Virginia letter that went out via e-mail). But Virginia's is a bit more significant, because as Anita Kumar reported last week, Virginia was the last state to submit its list of shovel-ready projects to the federal government. The deadline was June 29.

Cathy Hudgins and Gerry Hyland would like to set the record straight: neither is stepping down from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Rumors have been swirling that Hudgins got a job at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and would be resigning from the board. Completely false, Hudgins said Thursday.

"I have not gotten a job at HUD. I did not apply for a job at HUD. They have not offered me a job at HUD," said Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), adding that she plans to run for reelection when her third term expires in two years. "I'm having a good time doing what I do and I expect to be here a long time."

Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) said earlier this week that he was rather taken aback to learn that a number of fellow Democrats have already announced their interest in running for his seat. He believes it has something to do with the fact that he is the board's longest-serving member, and that he was in a serious car accident last year. But the assumption that he will step down or not run for another term has been "somewhat hurtful," he said.

"It's a strange feeling to have so many folks lining up assuming that I will do that," he said. He said he has not yet decided if he will run for reelection in two years. "The decision I'll make will be based on if I'm healthy, if I still feel challenged and if I feel I can be as satisfied as I am now that I can help people."

Del. Kristen J. Amundson (D-Fairfax) announced today she was retiring after ten years in the House. Amundson, who has her own communications firm, said she was stepping down at the end of her term this year for financial reasons.

"For most of these years, I have been able to put together enough freelance and consulting work to allow me to continue in public office," she wrote in a letter to constituents. "All that changed with the recession. Among the cutbacks that many businesses have made are the consulting services that made up the bulk of my income. Campaigning is a full time job. So I have made the difficult decision not to run for reelection to the House of Delegates."

Running for her eastern Fairfax County seat will be Fairfax County Democratic Committee Chairman Scott A. Surovell. Surovell, who is no stranger to this blog, said he will resign from his chairmanship tonight. "I think there's a lot going on in Richmond that I'd like to get fixed," said the longtime Mount Vernon resident.

Not keen to be overshadowed by this week's dramatic, show-stealing Democratic primary, the Fairfax County Republican Committee issued a statement today praising what chairman Anthony Bedell called "the strongest top-to-bottom Republican ticket we have fielded in a very long time."

The party is fielding candidates in 15 out of the 16 House of Delegates seats in the county, compared with 6 out of 16 in 2007, the statement said. The county's Republicans have been energized by two strong showings in special elections in the Democratic-leaning county, including county Supervisor John Cook's win in the Braddock District in March, it continued.

They "proved that the GOP is still a viable party in Fairfax," the statement said.

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: As Fairfax County Democratic Chairman Scott Surovell noted in a follow-up release today, there are 17, not 16, House districts in Fairfax County. Fifteen of those races are contested this year.

For months, Democrats have been painting the GOP as "the party of no." Well, Republicans tried to turn the tables on their Democratic critics today with a whirlwind "Just Say Yes" tour of the state.

Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli -- who on Saturday won the GOP nomination for Attorney General -- touched down at Dulles International for a brief rally as part of the tour. In a private hangar at the airport, McDonnell rattled off a litany of policy positions ranging from education to energy, and led supporters in a chorus of, "Just say yes!"

"This is the positive, can-do, results-oriented, friendly, enthusiastic, conservative ticket that's going to support right to work and the rule of law, all the way to victory on Nov. 3," said McDonnell. "And we're going to be the party of yes to the reforms that we need."

UPDATE: The Democratic Party of Virginia released a statement late today by spokesman Jared Leopold calling the tour "a cynical attempt to mislead Virginians...Today's new advertising slogan is nothing more than shiny new packaging for the same failed product."

Did Roy Baldwin vote in last year's historic race for president?

Yes, say Fairfax County elections officials and supporters of Baldwin (D), who is running for the House of Delegates in Virginia's 35th District. Rokey Suleman, the county's general registrar, says a clerical error led to a mistake in the public record that shows Baldwin turned in an unmarked absentee ballot last October.

"I am certain he voted in that election," said Suleman.

Meanwhile, Baldwin's supporters are accusing Mark Keam, one of his opponents for the Democratic nomination, of conducting a push-poll suggesting that Baldwin did not vote. A Keam spokeswoman today said the campaign would not comment on "internal information" such as polls.

Howard Springsteen edged out incumbent Dan Dellinger in last night's close election for Vienna Town Council, according to Fairfax County results.

Springsteen was ahead of Dellinger by a vote last night, but the results were too close to call because of a provisional ballot that could not be counted until this morning. The ballot was deemed valid, and it threw another vote to Springsteen, who declared victory this morning with a two-vote lead over Dellinger.

"I have a lot of respect for Dan Dellinger," Springsteen said today. "It shows every vote counts."

Springsteen, a New Jersey native with a dog named Boss, is not related to "the Boss."

One Republican and an independent backed by the GOP won seats on the Alexandria City Council tonight. The six-member council has been the exclusive domain of Democrats since 2003.

Frank Fannon IV (R) and Alicia R. Hughes (I) succeeded even though the city went 72 percent for President Obama last year. It is just the latest Northern Virginia race in which Republicans outperformed expectations, giving hope to party leaders that they may yet take the governor's mansion in November despite two successive Democratic administrations.

Incumbent George Lovelace and challenger Laurie DiRocco won two of the three seats up in today's Vienna town election, according to unofficial results from the Fairfax County Office of Elections.

One vote separates the third and fourth place candidates, incumbent Dan Dellinger and and challenger Howard Springsteen. Springsteen is ahead with 793 votes, but there was one provisional ballot cast, and Fairfax County officials will not determine its validity until tomorrow under Virginia law.

If it's a tie, the Board of Elections will flip a coin, draw a name out of a hat or otherwise determine the winner. Really.

An effort is underway to draft Anthony Bedell, chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee, to run for head of the Republican Party of Virginia.

His is among many names being floated to replace Jeffrey M. Frederick, who was ousted over the weekend but who has said he may run for the post again.

Bedell was only elected to his Fairfax County position in December, after Jim Hyland stepped down. Since then, Northern Virginia Republicans have outperformed expectations in three special elections, including one that installed John Cook (R) in the Braddock District seat vacated by Sharon Bulova (D), who became chairman this year.

Some supporters have started a Facebook group called "Draft Anthony Bedell for RPV Chairman," and several GOP blogs have suggested his name. No word yet from Bedell about whether he is interested.

UPDATE: Bedell issued this statement Wednesday: "At this time, I am not a candidate for Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. It is my intention to fulfill my campaign pledge and serve out the remainder of my term as Chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee. I have obviously been flattered to be mentioned by so many as a possible candidate for Chairman of the RPV, but right now my time and energy is focused on the FCRC."

Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) today introduced a bill that would create a bipartisan commission on criminal justice reform.

Webb has been an outspoken critic of the nation's drug laws and its approach toward incarceration, even though Virginia is considered a law-and-order state. In a statement on his Web site, he called the criminal justice system a "national disgrace."

Fairfax County Democratic Chairman Scott Surovell has written a scathing critique of the speech that John C. Cook (R) made last week when he was sworn in as the new Braddock District representative on the Board of Supervisors.

In his impassioned speech, Cook called it a "moral outrage" that illegal boarding houses exist in Fairfax County. In criticizing the county's efforts to buy affordable housing complexes, he invoked the notorious public housing project Cabrini Green, saying "we do not need to bring that kind of blight to the center of Fairfax County."

In his blog entry today, Surovell accuses Cook of "race-baiting" and "law and order demogoguery."

Today, Cook said his speech was optimistic and positive. "There was absolutely nothing racist about it and I would take great offense to that suggestion," he said.

See the speech here (about 10 minutes in) and Surovell's blog entry here.

Republican John Cook narrowly defeated Democrat Ilryong Moon in the race to fill an open seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, according to unofficial returns counted today.

Moon has not conceded the race. Cook's 89-vote victory, from among more than 12,000 votes cast, falls outside the margin that would require the state to pay for a recount, elections officials said.

Cook's victory in Democratic-leaning Fairfax could be an important symbolic boost to Virginia Republicans heading into the 2009 races for governor and House of Delegates.

"I am honored to have been selected by my Braddock District neighbors to serve as their next supervisor," Cook said. "I look forward to bringing new and innovative ideas to the problems we face and bring fiscal responsibility to our county government."

The outcome comes after a day of drama as elections officials tried to extract vote totals from a touch-screen voting machine that malfunctioned. The outcome is a sign that Republicans have not completely lost potency in Northern Virginia, despite demographic changes that have worked to the advantage of a series of Democratic candidates.

The weather report calls for rain and snow Tuesday, when Fairfax County voters are scheduled to choose a new chairman of the Board of Supervisors. But elections officials want you to know that, under Virginia law, concern over inclement weather on Election Day is not a good enough reason to take advantage of early voting.

Confusion arose over the rules on Friday, when dozens of voters began calling and visiting the office of the Fairfax County registrar asking to vote early. Some, apparently, were motivated by a recorded "robo-call" from former congressman Tom Davis (R), a supporter of GOP candidate Pat Herrity. Davis' message told voters: "The current weather report is calling for snow on Election Day, February 3rd," and then gave the hours for early voting. (A full transcript of the message follows).

Here are scenes from Warner's victory party at the Hilton McClean in Tysons Corner. My colleague Sandhya Somashekhar sent this dispatch:

Warner took the stage around 10, three hours after the Washington Post called the election for the former governor and after triumphant speeches by Webb and Kaine. He was greeted with chants of "Warner, Warner" from the crowd. He sought in his remarks to stress bipartisanship and the diverse groups that supported him, from business groups to labor unions, and voters from urban and rural environments.

"Tonight, by a record margin, Virginians said they want their next U.S. senator to focus on results, not rhetoric. Virginians understand at this critical moment for our nation that we're not going to get our country back on track if we continue to look at our problems through the old ideas of red versus blue, left versus right...Tonight this campaign ends about 18 months after it began ... based on the premise that we could actually find common ground. So I am proud to stand before you as your new junior senator."

Rep. Frank R. Wolf's campaign is apologizing this morning for the actions of a congressional staffer, who apparently struck a campaign worker for opponent Judy Feder after a candidate's forum in Winchester Friday. The incident was caught on tape and posted on the blog www.raisingkaine.com last night by Feder's paid blogger, Lowell Feld.

According to both camps, the two Feder staffers, one carrying a video camera, approached Wolf and peppered him with questions. Dan Scandling, Wolf's campaign spokesman, said the two workers had been "circling" Wolf, his wife Carolyn and congressional staffer Ben Dutton, and asking aggressive questions in an attempt to provoke an angry response.

Judy Feder, the Democrat challenging Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R) in the 10th District this fall, has taken to the airwaves.

It first aired last night on cable during coverage of the Democratic National Convention.

Alexandria resident Joe McCain -- who according to Leesburg Town Councilman Ken Reid is "the spitting image of his brother," John McCain -- is scheduled to address Loudoun Republicans tonight.

Hmm, spitting image? You decide. Photos and a bit more information about the younger McCain here and here.

Joe McCain also was quoted in this story about Cindy McCain by The Washington Post's Libby Copeland.

Sen. Barack Obama outlined his plans to help struggling middle-income families and working mothers in a town hall meeting in Fairfax County this afternoon, in his second visit to the area since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
Later today, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican nominee, also plans to reach out to Northern Virginia voters.
Standing amid the bleachers at Robinson Secondary School at about 1:30 p.m., Obama (Ill.) told a packed gymnasium that as president he would seek to expand paid family and medical leave and increase spending on childcare and preschool programs.

Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are planning today to reach out to voters in Northern Virginia, with the Illinois Democrat in a town hall meeting in Fairfax this afternoon and the Arizona Republican in a telephone conference with independents and moderates this evening.

The events underscore the importance of Virginia in the fall election. Though the state has supported the Republican nominee for president for the past four decades, Democrats are optimistic that Obama can carry it this year in part because of a demographic shift in Northern Virginia.

Republican Eugene Delgaudio, the Loudoun County supervisor who represents Sterling Park, made some heated remarks about illegal immigration and its impact on his district during an appearance on the Kojo Nnamdi show's Politics Hour on WAMU 88.1 FM Friday.

When asked if some of the deteriorating living conditions in the area were a result of urbanization, Delgaudio had this to say.

"This is not urbanization. This is a cesspool. People are coming from outside of this culture and they are dumping their crap on the streets of our town. And our town is outraged that they don't get with the program."

Listen to the full discussion here. Delgaudio's interview takes place during the final 10 minutes of the show.

House Speaker William J. Howell made it clear yesterday that he is looking to Loudoun County to help Republicans keep control of the House of Delegates in the 2009 elections.

"I know this sounds self-serving, the presidential stuff is important, but next year we've got House of Delegates seats, and there's a couple that are representing Loudoun and parts of Loudoun County that I know we can win back," Howell told a meeting of the Loudoun County Republican Committee.

A coalition of Democratic leaders from across Virginia are urging the state's superdelegates to endorse Barack Obama for president.

Obama overwhelmingly won the Virginia primary Feb. 12, taking 64 percent of the Democratic vote. But several of the state's superdelegates have endorsed Hillary Clinton and others, including U.S. Sen. Jim Webb and Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Richard Cranwell, have not endorsed either.

Judy Feder, one of the Democratic challengers to U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) this year, has made CQ Politics' top 10 list of best-funded, opposite party challengers. She's ranked ninth in the cash-on-hand department.

Feder is known for her fund-raising abilities. In 2006, she amassed more than $1.5 million in her first match-up against the popular 14-term incumbent, who raised just over $1.7 million.

Last week, bills that would have closed the so-called gun show "loophole" died in committee, in part with the help of Sen. John S. Edwards (D-Roanoke), who on Wednesday voted against advancing the bill to the floor of the Senate.

But today, Edwards -- whose district includes Virginia Tech -- tried to reopen the debate.

Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) is set to become the first woman from the State Senate to become a budget conferee.

The conferees are the handful of lawmakers who duke it out at the end of each session to finish the budget. On Wednesday, Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William), chairman of the finance committee, and Del. William J. Howell (R-Stafford), speaker of the House of Delegates, took the unusual step of announcing the conferees, whose names typically are unveiled toward the end of the session.

The House, too, has a woman conferee, Beverly J. Sherwood (R-Frederick). But she won't be the first from that chamber. That was Dorothy McDiarmid (D-Arlington), who served in 1984.

Chaos reigned at today's meeting of the Senate Courts of Justice committee, which took the state legislature's first crack at killing the unpopular abusive-driver fees.

The panel struggled to combine 10 bills that essentially did the same thing-- repeal the fees. Senators argued along party lines over two issues: should the thousands of motorists who have already been assessed the fees get their money back, and should the committee attach an "emergency clause" to the bill so it takes effect as soon as the governor signs it?

Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell (R) unveiled his legislative priorities Tuesday, a day before the state's lawmakers get to work for this year's 60-day session in Richmond.

It came the same day former governor and U.S. senator George Allen announced he will not run for governor in 2009. Allen's announcement clears the field a bit for McDonnell, who could face Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling for the Republican nomination.

A former aide to Loudoun County Chairman Scott K. York said that York must be the happiest man in the country today.

That's because tomorrow York could become a powerful player in the region. At the first official meeting of the new Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, the board is likely to return to York a host of powers that were stripped from him from the previous board.

Judy Feder, the Democrat who ran unsuccessfully in 2006 against Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), is quitting her job to focus on her effort to challenge Wolf again next year.

Feder announced yesterday she was stepping down as dean of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute after nine years.

A former reporter who went from news-breaker to news-maker earlier this year when he revealed the details of his purported off-the-record conversations with Loudoun's top prosecutor is still on the local political scene.

After quitting his job with the Loudoun County weekly Leesburg Today, Charlie Jackson volunteered for several Loudoun Democrats' campaigns, he said in an interview today. He also helped set up a press event in which the Democratic candidates for the Loudoun Board of Supervisors signed an oversized ethics pledge for the benefit of clicking cameras.

A common gripe around Loudoun County these days has been the way Richmond divvies up the tax money generated by Northern Virginia, the state's "economic engine."

Only a fraction of every tax dollar generated in Northern Virginia comes back in the form of road improvements, school funding and similar benefits. Candidates keep demanding "our fair share" to pay for the county's badly needed schools and roads.

But two state delegates this week broke from the chorus.

Judy Feder, a Democrat who raised more than $1.5 million in her race to unseat U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) last year, has already raised a whopping $335,000 for her rematch in November 2008, her campaign has announced.

It's an impressive sum for so early in the game, but it's obviously no guarantee. Feder, dean of Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute, lost solidly to Wolf last year.

Jill Holtzman Vogel, the Republican candidate hoping to replace retiring Virginia Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. in the 27th District, is getting heat over her husband's lobbying activity in Washington.

According to the Northern Virginia Daily, Alex Vogel's firm has lobbied on behalf of the American Immigrant Lawyers Association, which last week announced it supports a bill that would allow provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.

Today, her Democratic opponent Karen Schultz called for her husband's firm to return the $63,000 it apparently got from the group to lobby for the bill.

A new political action committee has launched in Loudoun, and it has a familiar target.

The Loudoun Coalition, which formed in August, "stands in opposition to five incumbent supervisors who are standing for reelection," according to a Thursday press release announcing the group's formation.

If you live in Loudoun, you can probably guess which five they are talking about -- Stephen J. Snow (Dulles), Mick Staton Jr. (Sugarland Run), Jim E. Clem (Leesburg), Eugene A. Delgaudio (Sterling) and Bruce E. Tulloch (Potomac), the board's pro-growth Republicans.

"Sounds like one more guy having fun attacking the Republicans," Staton said Friday.

The chairman's race in Loudoun County is heating up -- but not in the way you might think.

Three-term incumbent Scott K. York (I), who has been chairman for the past two terms, started off his campaign for reelection this fall not by attacking his opponent but by going after five of his fellow supervisors, all Republicans, whom he has dubbed "the gang of five."

Movie director Ron Maxwell has been in Loudoun County stumping for at least two Republican candidates in this fall's elections: Greg Ahlemann, who aims to be the next sheriff of Loudoun County, and Jill Holtzman Vogel, who hopes to succeed retiring Virginia Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester).

Maxwell made the Civil War epics "Gettysburg" and "Gods and Generals," the latter of which Washington Post film critic Stephen Hunter called "something of a Confederate Honor Restoration Project."

What the two candidates have in common is a very early commitment to cracking down on illegal immigration, a position that has become all the rage since Prince William County passed its much-publicized resolution this summer.

Sandhya Somashekhar (pronounced Sahn-di-ya So-ma-shaker) has been working in the Loudoun County bureau of the Washington Post for the past year, where she has written on a variety of subjects including a high-voltage power line planned for rural Northern Virginia. She has a master's degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. Last year, she was part of a team of former Berkeley students who won the George Polk award for radio reporting. Prior to graduate school, she spent three years covering education for a daily newspaper in suburban San Francisco. Despite her six-year stint in California, she is a local girl who grew up in Bel Air, Md.