In the Ballot Booths, No Fixation on Immigration

Voters across Virginia chose candidates in state and local elections yesterday not out of anger over illegal immigration but based on party affiliation, a preference for moderation and strong views on such key issues as residential growth and traffic congestion.

With a few notable exceptions, the trend benefited Democrats and not those who campaigned the loudest for tough sanctions against illegal immigrants.

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The returns provided the sharpest evidence yet that Democratic gains in recent state elections represented more than a temporary dip in Republicans’ popularity. Yesterday’s initial results showed that a more long-term structural realignment may be occurring and that voters are increasingly drawn by Democrats’ promises to improve schools and ease traffic and away from Republican conservatism on such issues as taxes and social policy, particularly in fast-growing Northern Virginia.

“I did not think that immigration in and of itself would carry the day,” said Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (Fairfax), who would become majority leader under Democratic control. “The results are proving that, while immigration is a concern to people—and it should be—it is not returning the votes that they thought that it would.”

Greg Blevins, a 17-year resident of Prince William, might have been a typical voter deciding yesterday’s crucial contests. Although concerned about enforcement of immigration law, Blevins said he voted for both Democrats and Republicans because his main concerns also include roads and schools, for which he is willing to pay higher taxes. “I want to see tax money spent where it is raised,” he said.

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In the House of Delegates, Republicans will still hold a significant if smaller majority.

State Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle (R-Virginia Beach) said his party didn’t drum up the immigration issue out of nowhere. Candidates were forced to talk about it by constituents who wanted the issue addressed, he said.

Republican losses yesterday, even in solidly GOP districts, he said, were more often the result of a candidate being too conservative for the moderate direction most voters want Virginia to take.

“If you want to take a look at who’s winning in the Republican Party, it’s middle-of-the-road Republicans who have not moved too far to the right that they’re considered extremists,” he said.

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Robert D. Holsworth, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, called it the “decline of the Republican brand” and credited it with rallying Democratic activists, bringing forward credible Democratic candidates and attracting hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to Democratic campaigns.

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