Hurt Wins Fifth District House Race in Virginia
Virginia's Fifth Congressional district went Republican in yesterday's election. Jeanne Faulconer tells us that the incumbent Democrat was defeated in a close race.
Republican Robert Hurt was elected to the United States House of Representatives to represent the Fifth District of Virginia with 50.75 percent of the vote. He defeated incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello, who received 47.05 percent of the vote. Perriello conceded the election shortly after 9 pm last night, congratulating Hurt and pledging to assist with a transition. In his acceptance speech, Hurt focused on his philosophy of low taxes and smaller government, saying people understand that it's the private sector, not the government, that creates jobs, that people need to keep more of their money, and that regulatory burdens and the national debt need to be reduced.
Hurt joked that he won 20 percent of the vote in Charlottesville, where Perriello made his strongest showing, and where President Obama made a campaign appearance for Perriello at a rally Friday night. In addition to Charlottesville, Perriello also won the counties of Albemarle, Brunswick, Buckingham, Nelson and Prince Edward, and the cities of Martinsville and Danville. Hurt won the counties of Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Franklin, Greene, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg and Pittsylvania - location of his home town, Chatham, where he made his acceptance speech on the steps of the courthouse last night.
Voter turnout was highest in Virginia's Fifth Congressional District, with over 55 percent of active voters going to the polls.
Jeanne Faulconer, WCVE News, South Hill
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