Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Del. Ward Armstrong and his wife Pam (left) talk with Marny Adams-Gherken at the Democrats’ election event Tuesday at Rania’s restaurant. |
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Tenth District Del. Ward Armstrong said he was thrilled with his re-election to a 10th term in the Virginia House of Delegates in Tuesday’s election, but he was not in a celebratory mood.
“It’s comforting and rewarding,” Armstrong said, “that folks returned me to office by a substantial margin” of victory.
But “it’s hard to celebrate when there’s double-digit unemployment in my district,” he said while visiting with local Democrats who gathered at a local restaurant to watch election results on television. “That weighs on me.”
He did not stay at the gathering long.
Armstrong, D-Collinsville, received 9,083 votes, while his challenger, Ed Creed, a Republican from Patrick County, received 6,939 votes, unofficial results from the Virginia State Board of Elections show.
A lawyer, Armstrong has spent 18 years in the Virginia House of Delegates. He has been the House minority leader for 21⁄2 years.
Creed has lived in the district for five months. Formerly of Roanoke, he has said that with ambitions of getting involved in politics, he was asked by the Republican Party to run against Armstrong because no one else would.
Armstrong, 53, garnered almost 56.7 percent of the vote while Creed took almost 43.3 percent. The delegate had predicted he would get roughly 58 percent of the vote.
Those figures are below the 63 percent he received in the 2005 election.
He acknowledged that public discontent with Democratic leaders on the national level seems to have worked its way down to the state level.
But Democrats in Washington are not the same bunch as the Democrats in Richmond, he indicated.
In making decisions on issues, Armstrong said, Democrats in Washington “need to be reminded of their (party’s) core principles,” such as providing support for education and the economy, all the while keeping a moderate level of taxation.
And, “you can’t move too quickly” in making decisions, said Armstrong. The public does not want lawmakers to rush through the process and possibly make the wrong decisions, he said.
Armstrong pledged to “continue to work hard” to help the House make the right decisions for the 10th District.
He said his major goals for his upcoming two-year term will be improving the area’s economy, such as by helping lure companies that will bring new jobs to Henry County and Martinsville, and ensuring that the New College Institute remains a state-funded institution and progresses toward becoming either a stand-alone university or a branch campus of an existing university.
Also, he pledged to “reach across the aisle” and continue working closely with re-elected Republican Dels. Don Merricks of Pittsylvania County and Danny Marshall of Danville, and with Bob McDonnell, the newly elected Republican governor.
“I hope he’s true to his promise that he’s going to increase the Governor’s Opportunity Fund” to help attract companies and new jobs to Southside, Armstrong said of McDonnell.
“I’ll be a partner with him if he wants to be one with me,” Armstrong said.
Creed conceded defeat about 8:50 p.m. Tuesday at the Martinsville Republican headquarters, where he had been monitoring election results alongside about 20 party members.
He said the 10th District election results show that Armstrong, whom he called one the most powerful House delegates, is “vulnerable.”
“It shows voters want a change, and he can be taken out,” but the timing wasn’t right, he added.
Creed said he is grateful to his supporters and campaign volunteers. He said he did not have a lot of money, which limited his ability to campaign, but he enjoyed meeting people across the district during his campaign.
Armstrong said he will seek the minority leader post again, and if Tuesday’s election leads the Democrats to become the majority party in the House, he will seek the speaker’s post.
But that is not likely, he indicated, alluding to results in races statewide.
“There’s no way to sugar coat this and say it’s a good night for Democrats,” he said. |
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