By Bob Gibson
Charlottesville political blogger

    Virginians who pay attention to politics are not likely to be disappointed this year if they like competitive elections.
    The Old Dominion, once a place of one-party predictability, is now blessed with a most pleasant sufficiency of contests, unlike each of the past two state cycles for legislative offices.

    Two years ago, 59 percent of House of Delegates elections featured only one candidate. This year, only 32 percent of House elections are uncontested.

    If competition is a good thing in politics as well as in the marketplace, then the good news is voter choice has expanded as Virginia has grown more competitive in statewide and legislative elections.

    Voters face the possibility of more close General Assembly contests as well as the certainty of more contested elections this year than two and four years ago.

    Of course, with the numbers of potentially tight races, Virginians will witness more expensive campaigns and record amounts of cash given to candidates from in-state and out-of-state donors.

    In Virginia, there are no limits on campaign contributions, so the sky and the moon may appear closer than the stacks of cash that campaigns hope to burn through from June to Nov. 3.

    A competitive race for governor between Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell is the marquis multi-million-dollar contest certain to draw the most money, national attention and votes.

    Both parties have geographic diversity on their statewide tickets and a pair of Northern Virginia legislators facing off for attorney general in what promises to be a hard-fought race between GOP nominee Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Steve Shannon.

    Deeds, a resident of Bath County near the West Virginia line, and his lieutenant governor running mate Jody Wagner of Virginia Beach live on the west and the east sides of the state.

    McDonnell got his political start in Virginia Beach as well and moved to suburban Richmond four years ago when he became attorney general while GOP running mate Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling started off and stayed in politics from Hanover County.

    But the real geographic diversity and surprising increase in competition this year is in the 68 contested House of Delegates elections all across the commonwealth.

    In 2007, only 41 of the 100 House elections were contested.

    In 2005, only 49 of the 100 House seats featured elections with at least two candidates.

    Now, places in Southwest Virginia and from Danville to Dumfries and Delaplane to Dayton have two-party competition.

    In all, it appears from campaign finance reports that 85 Republicans, 72 Democrats and 24 independents or members of smaller parties are seeking House seats on Nov. 3.

    Of course, the Nov. 3 election does not have to be the last word on who will sit in the House of Delegates, or even the Virginia Senate if Deeds and/or Cuccinelli manage to win statewide office.

    In fact, Charlottesville area Democrats are seriously discussing the possibilities for having a pair of special elections for General Assembly seats run into the second week of January if Deeds beats McDonnell for governor.

    The scenario many imagine involves a Deeds win and a quick special election near the end of December during which Delegate David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, is a leading candidate to succeed Deeds in the 25th Senate District.

      If Toscano were to run and win, a second local special election could be held in early January for the 57th House District seat that suddenly would be vacated by the former Charlottesville mayor.

      Toscano is considered very likely to seek the Senate if Deeds were to win on Nov. 3, and it is not certain what types of opposition he might face. Delegate Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, is considered much more likely to wait for a future statewide bid for attorney general than to seek the Deeds seat in a Democratic-leading Senate district.

      Toscano could be an early and strong favorite for the Senate if such an opening develops and a win by him could leave many people eyeing a strong Democratic seat in a House district that includes all eight precincts in Charlottesville plus eight nearby in Albemarle County.

      Democratic Party leaders suggest that Mayor Dave Norris and former Mayor Blake Caravati are only two of a larger number of Charlottesville Democrats whom party leaders count as likely to eye the House seat if it were suddenly to open up late this year.

      Republicans note that Democrats may be counting chickens before the eggs hatch, but in an era when House and Senate seats involve campaigns with price tags shooting skyward Democrats contend it may be the early mayor who catches the prize before others even squirm. 

      With Democrats needing to pick up six seats from their current 45 to gain a majority in the 100-seat House, holding onto one in Charlottesville possibly could make a difference in which party gains a majority, or even parity, in the legislature that will convene Jan. 13. Republicans doubt the prospect of losing their majority while Democrats contend their party is still on a roll in Virginia. A dozen competitive House races could determine which party heads into the 2011 redistricting year holding a majority.