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Virginia politics

The current governor of Virginia is Timadministrator under the council-manager
Kaine. The State Capitol building inform of government. There are
Richmond was designed by Thomasexceptions, notably Richmond, which has
Jefferson, and the cornerstone was laida popularly-elected mayor who serves as
by Governor Patrick Henry in 1785.chief executive separate from the city
In colonial Virginia, the lower house ofcouncil.
the legislature was called the House ofVirginia is an alcoholic beverage
Burgesses. Together with the Governor'scontrol state. Distilled spirits, plus
Council, the House of Burgesses made upwine greater than 14% alcohol by volume,
the General Assembly. The Governor'sare available for off-premises sale
Council was composed of 12 men appointedsolely in state-owned and -operated
by the British Monarch to advise theretail outlets.
Governor. The Council also served as thePolitics
General Court of the colony, a colonialAfter William Mahone and the Readjuster
equivalent of a Supreme Court. MembersParty lost control of Virginia politics
of the House of Burgesses were chosen byaround 1883, the Democratic Party held a
all those who could vote in the colony.nearly unchallenged majority position of
Each county chose two people orstate and most federal offices through
burgesses to represent it, while thethe middle of the 20th century. The Byrd
College of William and Mary and theOrganization headed by Harry F. Byrd Sr.
cities of Norfolk, Williamsburg, andlargely controlled statewide politics.
Jamestown each chose one burgess. TheIn 1970, Republican A. Linwood Holton
Burgesses met to make laws for theJr. became the first Republican governor
colony and set the direction for itsin the 20th century effectively ending
future growth; the Council would thenthe influence of the Byrd Organization.
review the laws and either approve orHolton was succeeded by two other
disapprove them. The approval of theRepublican governors in the 1970s.
Burgesses, the Council, and the governorVirginia has voted for Republicans in
was needed to pass a law. The idea ofevery presidential election since 1952
electing burgesses was important andexcept for the Democratic landslide in
new. It gave Virginians a chance to1964. Virginia's current streak of
control their own government for thevoting for Republicans in ten
first time. At first, the burgesses wereconsecutive presidential elections since
elected by all free men in the colony.1968, when Richard Nixon began the
Women, indentured servants, and NativeSouthern Strategy, is the longest among
Americans could not vote. Later thethe former Confederate States. Virginia
rules for voting changed, making itwas the only such state to vote for
necessary for men to own at least fiftyGerald Ford over Jimmy Carter in 1976.
acres (200,000 m²) of land in order toDespite Virginia's support of Republican
vote. Founded in 1619, the Virginiapresidential candidates and reputation
General Assembly is still in existenceas a conservative state, Democrats won
as the oldest legislature in the Newall three gubernatorial elections in the
World. Today, the General Assembly is1980s and maintained large majorities in
made up of the Senate and the House ofboth houses of the Virginia General
Delegates.Assembly, however many Democrats from
Like many other states, by the 1850srural and suburban districts had
Virginia featured a state legislature,conservative stances on various issues.
several executive officers, and anVirginia experienced a political
independent judiciary. By the time ofrealignment in the 1990s as conservative
the Constitution of 1901, which lastedRepublicans George Allen and Jim Gilmore
longer than any other stateheld the Governorship from 1994 until
constitution, the General Assembly2002. Republicans captured both houses
continued as the legislature, theof the General Assembly and built large
Supreme Court of Appeals acted as themajorities. Conservative and moderate
judiciary, and the eight electedDemocrats from rural and suburban areas
executive officers were the Governor,were largely replaced by Republicans.
Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General,Within the Republican party, the
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Stateremnants of the less conservative
Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts,"mountain-valley" faction of Holton, so
Superintendent of Public Instruction andnamed because many members were from the
Commissioner of Agriculture andShenandoah Valley and Southwest
Immigration. The Constitution of 1901Virginia, were supplanted by more
was amended many times, notably in theconservative office holders. Virginia
1930s and 1950s, before it was abandonedwas considered a red state by political
in favor of more modern government, withanalysts and most of its residents.
fewer elected officials, reformed localRecently, Democrats have been gaining
governments and a more streamlinedvotes in Virginia. The Republican
judiciary.majorities in the General Assembly have
Virginia currently functions under thenarrowed, particularly in the Senate
1971 Constitution of Virginia. It is thewhere Democrats now occupy 17 out of the
Commonwealth's ninth constitution. Under40 seats. In 2004, John Kerry won 45.48%
the Constitution, the government isof the vote in Virginia, the highest
composed of three branches: legislative,percentage of any Democrat since Jimmy
executive, and judicial.Carter. Kerry won Fairfax County, long a
Virginia is one of only five states thatRepublican stronghold, and fared much
elects its state officials in oddbetter in the rest of Northern Virginia
numbered years (The others are Kentucky,than Al Gore did in 2000. Though
Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey).Northern Virginia continues to trend
Virginia holds elections for theseDemocratic, most of rural Virginia, once
offices every 4 years in the yearsa Democratic stronghold, has been
following Presidential election years.trending Republican, balancing out the
Thus, the last year when Virginiastate's politics and reflecting the
elected a Governor was 2005; the nextnational urban-rural split. Portions of
gubernatorial election will occur inSouthwest Virginia influenced by
2009, with future gubernatorialunionized coal mines, the college town
elections to take place in 2013, 2017,of Charlottesville, and southeastern
2021, etc.counties in the Black Belt Region have
The legislative branch or stateremained more likely to vote Democratic.
legislature is the Virginia GeneralHowever, as the population has increased
Assembly, a bicameral body whose 140in Northern Virginia, so has the number
members make all laws of theof Democratic voters. In 2005 and 2006,
Commonwealth. Members of the VirginiaTim Kaine and Jim Webb won nearly all
House of Delegates serve two-year terms,jurisdictions within the region, which
while members of the Virginia Senatewas not accomplished by Alexandria
serve four-year terms. The Generalresident Mark Warner in 2001. Warner
Assembly also selects the Commonwealth'sperformed comparatively strongly in
Auditor of Public Accounts. Therural areas, particularly Southwest
statutory law enacted by the GeneralVirginia, as his campaign stressed
Assembly is codified in the Code ofrespect for rural cultural values and
Virginia.strategies for economic development.
The executive branch comprises theSome political analysts have predicted
Governor of Virginia, the Lieutenantthat Virginia could become a more
Governor of Virginia, and the Attorneycompetitive state in future presidential
General of Virginia. All three officerselections as the number of Democrats in
are separately elected to four-yearthe north begin to counterbalance the
terms in years following Presidentialnumber of Republicans elsewhere. The
elections (1997, 2001, 2005, etc) andelection of Jim Webb as one of
take office in January of the followingVirginia's two U.S. Senators in the
year.Congressional midterm elections of 2006
The governor serves as chief executivereinforced this prediction. In that
officer of the Commonwealth and asmidterm election, the Virginia Senate
commander-in-chief of its militia.race was the last decided and secured
Virginia law forbids any governor fromthe Democratic Party a majority in the
serving consecutive terms (although aUnited States Senate.
governor may serve multipleRepublican John Warner still holds the
non-consecutive terms). The lieutenantother seat in the U.S. Senate.
governor, who is not elected on the sameRepublicans also hold 8 out of 11 seats
ticket as the governor, serves asin the U.S. House of Representatives,
president of the Senate of Virginia andwhich some attribute to gerrymandering
is first in the line of succession toduring redistricting after the 2000
the governor. The attorney general isCensus. In Northern Virginia, the most
chief legal advisor to the governor andstaunchly Democratic areas were placed
the General Assembly, chief lawyer ofin the 8th Congressional District
the Commonwealth and the head of therepresented by Jim Moran leaving behind
Department of Law. The attorney generaltraditionally Republican leaning areas
is second in the line of succession toin the 11th Congressional District
the governor. Whenever there is arepresented by Thomas M. Davis and the
vacancy in all three executive offices10th Congressional District represented
of governor, lieutenant governor, andby Frank Wolf. The majority African
attorney general, then the Speaker ofAmerican 3rd Congressional District
the House of the Virginia House ofrepresented by Robert C. Scott stretches
Delegates becomes governor.from the Richmond metropolitan area to
The Office of the Governor's SecretariesHampton Roads and is surrounded by
helps manage the Governor's Cabinet,Republican controlled districts.
comprised of the following individuals,Virginia's Lieutenant Governor is a
all appointed by the governorRepublican. Republican Robert McDonnell
The judicial branch consists of thebecame Attorney General of Virginia by
Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia360 votes following a legally mandated
Court of Appeals, the General Districtrecount of ballots for that race in
Courts and the Circuit Courts. The2005. Most elected official in the
Virginia Supreme Court, composed of thestate's largest city, Virginia Beach,
chief justice and six other judges iswhich has a population in excess of
the highest court in the Commonwealth450,000, are Republicans. Most elected
(although, as with all the states, theofficials, including a majority of the
U.S. Supreme Court has appellatecounty board of supervisors, in the
jurisdiction over decisions by thestate's most populous locality, Fairfax
Virginia Supreme Court involvingCounty, with a population in excess of
substantial questions of U.S.one million, are Democrats.
Constitution law or constitutionalIncumbent Virginia governors cannot run
rights). The Chief Justice and thefor re-election under the state
Virginia Supreme Court also serve as theconstitution, and in the November 2005
administrative body for the entireelection to succeed Democratic Governor
Virginia court system.Mark Warner, Democrat Tim Kaine
The 95 counties and the 39 independent(Richmond) beat Republican Attorney
cities all have their own governments,General Jerry Kilgore (Scott County) and
usually a county board of supervisors orlongtime Republican State Senator Russ
city council which choose a city managerPotts (Winchester), who ran as an
or county administrator to serve as aindependent. Kaine was inaugurated as
professional, non-political chiefgovernor on January 14, 2006.



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