Just hours after Sen. Bill Stanley ended days of speculation about his political future by announcing his intention to run for reelection in the 20th Senate District, Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a strong statement of support for the freshman Republican:
Bill Stanley has been a tireless supporter of our Administration’s efforts to bring more jobs and opportunity to Southern Virginia and every region of the Commonwealth, and he has my strong support in his campaign for State Senate.
Since being elected to the State Senate, Bill demonstrated real leadership focusing on job-creation, eliminating government waste, reforming education, and improving our roads. I know he will provide great leadership to the citizens of the 20th District as he continues to work to bring more jobs and opportunities to Southern Virginia. Virginia needs Bill Stanley in the State Senate.
This statement comes after Sen. Stanley thanked both Gov. McDonnell and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and area congressmen for their support and encouragement when deciding whether to relocate to his farm in southern Franklin County–a move that would allow him to rejoin 40 percent of his old 19th Senate District that was moved into the 20th by redistricting.
At today’s announcement in his Danville campaign headquarters, Sen. Stanley reflected on his accomplishments during his first four months in office and revealed the thinking involved in his decision to relocate:
Since redistricting, I have given a lot of thought as to whether to seek re-election, and if so, where.
I believe that it is critical this year for conservatives to become the majority in the State Senate. That is the only way to ensure that our values and way of life here in Virginia will be preserved. That is the only way we can achieve results that will put Virginians back to work here in our area.
Therefore, I announce to you today that I am relocating my home to southern Franklin County in the portion of my current district that now lies in the 20th, and that I am seeking the Republican nomination for the Virginia State Senate for the 20th District.
I do not make this choice easily, nor do I take this decision lightly. I do this today because I want to continue my service to the people of Southside. I want to stay on the job for the people of Danville, Franklin and Pittsylvania, and I want to begin working on behalf of the citizens of Carroll, Galax, Halifax, Henry, Martinsville and Patrick. As Senator, I have demonstrated the effectiveness our region needs in Richmond to return our area to economic prosperity and greatness.
I want to work for you to put our region back to work.
The new 20th Senate District is 7.1 percent more Democratic than it was before redistricting, yet Sen. Stanley appeared ready for the challenge, ignoring his primary opponents and setting his sight on the district’s longtime incumbent Roscoe Reynolds:
…[W]hen Roscoe Reynolds became the Senator for the 20th District way back in 1997, Virginia’s annual expenditures were just over 18 billion dollars. Thirteen years later? Our spending has increased nearly 73%! Yet, unemployment in our area is at an all-time high.
When Roscoe Reynolds was first elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1997:
- The unemployment rate in Carroll County was 4% – today, it stands at 9.1%;
- The unemployment rate in Patrick County was 3.5% – today it is 9.7%;
- The unemployment rate in Henry County was 3.8% – today it is 11.2%; and
- The unemployment rate in the City of Martinsville in 1997 was only 4 % – today it is an astonishing and unacceptable 17.8%.
This cannot stand.
It is time for us to do something about it.
It is time to bring economic prosperity back to Southside….
While defeating an entrenched incumbent is never an easy task, Sen. Stanley is also the incumbent senator to approximately 40 percent of the 20th District. Gov. McDonnell’s endorsement, coupled with his pledge to campaign for Stanley and provide financial support from his Opportunity Virginia PAC, could be a significant advantage for Stanley when the governor earned 59.6 percent of the vote in the 20th Senate District in 2009 and who remains incredibly popular with Virginians.
Prior to today’s formal announcement, Jeff Evans, Sen. Reynold’s 2007 opponent, who was planning on a rematch this November, was incensed that “trial lawyer Bill Stanley” would move into the district just to run for the State Senate:
When I began running for the 20th Senate District over five years ago, I made the personal commitment to sacrifice my time, money and efforts to serve as a senator and fight for the needs of the district in which I have lived and worked nearly all of my life. This is the only honest reason someone should seek office — to serve and help give back to the community that has given to them.
Southside Virginia doesn’t need a disloyal, calculated politician. We need someone who has lived in this district and will be in touch with their constituency and fight for their seat.
Gov. McDonnell’s endorsement of Bill Stanley is certain to make the primary race between Stanley and Jeff Evans even more interesting.
