A two party system?
Ken Odor
Mar 06, 2007

That’s what citizens could have if the latest meeting of the Hanover Democratic Committee is any indication.
About 50 folks turned out last Saturday morning to talk about the Comprehensive Plan, the upcoming fall elections and fielding candidates to oppose incumbent Republicans.
Hanoverians are so used to assuming that everyone running for office is a member of the GOP that it is refreshing to note that not everyone in the county swears allegiance to the elephant.
Under the leadership of Robert Barnette, the Hanover Democratic Committee is showing new signs of life after years of essentially ceding control of the county power structure to the Republicans.
Will this be the election where Democrats field a viable slate of candidates to challenge incumbents on the Board of Supervisors and for constitutional officers? Are the county’s demographics changing so that putting a “D” behind one’s name is no longer the kiss of death at election time? Are the supervisors satisfying county voters or are they ready for a change?
One thing’s for sure, it certainly makes life more interesting for us inky wretches in the newspaper business when there’s a good political battle going on, and even the most partisan members of either party would probably agree that a healthy debate between opposing points of view is good for the body politic.
We’ll see what materializes.
Meanwhile it looks like one of the most interesting races shaping up in Hanover is for the Republican nomination for Commonwealth’s Attorney. Two-term incumbent Kirby Porter has an impressive record of convictions in jury trials, but he faces a two-pronged challenge from Trip Chalkley, who ran a close race against him four years ago, and newcomer Rusty McGuire.
Chalkley announced last week and has the support of county political heavy weight Sheriff Stuart Cook (see story page 1). That could swing a substantial number of votes his way. And in a three-way race, anything can happen.
Get ready for a vigorous campaign for the Republican nomination for the county’s chief prosecutor.
Whether the Democrats will find a candidate for this spot remains to be seen.

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