by DENICE THIBODEAU, Register & Bee (September 29, 2007)
DANVILLE - The race for the 14th District House of Delegates seat is heating up into what promises to be one of the most bitterly fought and contentious races in the region.
Words have flown from the candidates and their supporters that include "misrepresenting the facts" and "misleading the people." Democratic challenger Adam Tomer has taken jabs at Republican incumbent Danny Marshall's voting record, while Marshall has taken aim at Tomer's youth and relative inexperience while playing up his own accomplishments.
Both candidates are using mailed flyers as one method to reach residents - more than any local candidate has used in recent history. To date, the count is nine different flyers for Tomer versus six for Marshall, and both say they will be sending out more.Both candidates have raised ample campaign funds. As of Sept. 17, Marshall had raised about $140,000 and Tomer $101,000.
Tomer, however, has spent almost three times as much as Marshall on his campaign so far - $60,571, compared to $21,276 by Marshall. This leaves $88,889 in Marshall's war chest and $40,459 in Tomer's to wrap the race up with.
There is no clear winner taking the lead at this point. Larry Sabato, a leading expert in Virginia politics, said incumbents are usually favored, but Democrats have been touting Tomer since the spring and say he can pull off an upset. That possibility can't be discounted, even though Sabato admits he has not seen any political polling data or followed the race closely. Read Full Story »
Source: registerbee.com
