There are few members of either party with the personal integrity of Bob FitzSimmonds.

Bob knows the issues. He’s in touch with voters. He’s got a vision for the district.

In a year with few outstanding new contenders, Bob FitzSimmonds is a breath of fresh air. He’s bright, experienced, and principled.

I like Chuck personally, but he’s running as a place holder. Is he planning to complete a full term? I don’t think so.

When Chuck steps down in mid-term, who would Democrats replace him with in a surprise special election–at a time of their choosing? He/she could be really bad news for the district.

Bob’s focus on transportation and moving the district ahead are refreshing. Higher taxes that get frittered away down-state leave the district nothing.

Remember Warner’s historic tax increase? How much came back for PW roads?Not a penny–not one single penny. Chuck could have changed that if he really wanted to.

But as the senior Democrat, Colgan must shift tax dollars downstate to support his party’s incumbents. In a pinch, he’ll back the Democrats over the district every time.

The district will have Bob FitzSimmonds’ undivided loyalty–and he’s a bulldog! Bob’s a great candidate. He’s going to win this election.

Dick Black

You just have to pick the best candidate based on their capabilities and views. I am strongly supporting Bob this year (and actively opposing Sen. Colgan for the 1st time) for the following reasons:

1. Bob strongly supports educational choice but Sen. Colgan has steadfastly opposed it out of deference to the Unions.

2. Bob will at least advocate for adjustments to the current unfair funding formula, something Sen. Colgan referred to as “a clever political ploy.” This is actually the best long-term hope for a unified Virginia - we see the beginning of the unraveling of Virginia’s fiscal compact in the transportation bill. NoVa refused to donate more to the state budget under the current rules and the ROVa decided to let NoVa break free instead of budging on the formula. We are headed down a dead end track and Sen. Colgan is one of the chief conductors on the trolley.

3. Where once Sen. Colgan had the courage to be a bridge between the parties, he is now unwilling or unable to play that role. In budget crisis after budget crisis, our supposed powerful leader has done absolutely nothing to bridge the gap. Instead, he has helped the two democratic governors exploit the cracks in the GOP armor. All this while claiming to represent a republican district! I don’t have to worry about Bob selling out our interests to the ROVa

and,

4. Senator Colgan’s taking the point on the minimum wage and saying that the minimum wage was the only way that the american worker made any progress in this country so a profound lack of understanding who the minimum wage really hurts. It hurts the least skilled who cannot find an employer willing to hire them for the higher minimum wage. It also hurts the marginal employer who cannot afford to pay the minimum wage for extremely low skill jobs. Bob understands the unintended consequences of this approach better than the guy who just cashed out of his business!

Bob can win if he just stays focused on his race and doesn’t get his energy diverted to weaker candidates who appeal to his sense of loyalty. I’m willing to help him any way I can.

Bob Fitzsimmonds is needed in the Virginia Senate.

Period.

I’ve got more reason than many to make his support of them a deciding factor, and I’ve chosen not to. I would imagine that others might make a similar decision.

And it’s really not just because Bob is a Republican, and that Colgan is devoted to pork spending and tax hikes. Bob really has a stunning grasp of policy issues, has a solid foundation of heart-felt principles, and about the only bad thing I can say about him is that sometimes his choice in friends is based more on shared values than a measure of their personal integrity. Fortunately, who his friends might sometimes be doesn’t impact his ability to represent me well. I started supporting Bob long ago in this race, and I still do.

So are going to vote for Colgan?