Incumbents in area races for Virginia’s House of Delegates were able to hold off their challengers Tuesday. With all precincts reporting, 58th District incumbent Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, received 61 percent of the vote, while Democrat Kellen Squire garnered 39 percent.
With Election Day looming on Tuesday, the three area Republican delegate candidates raised nearly three times more money than their Democratic challengers during the last reporting period. The final campaign finance reports before Tuesday’s election were due Monday, with candidates’ contributions and expenses from Oct. 1-26.
With the state elections looming in slightly more than a month, about 40 people attended a forum at East Rockingham High School to hear the two candidates seeking the 58th House of Delegates seat speak Monday evening. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, has represented the district since 2002 and not faced a challenger since 2009. Democratic contender Kellen Squire, an emergency room nurse from Albemarle County, is looking to unseat the Charlottesville attorney this fall to represent parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Rockingham counties,
With Election Day less than two months away, candidates for the 25th and 58th districts in the Virginia House of Delegates made their case to voters at a Wednesday forum. Del. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, and Democrat Angela Lynn, candidates for the 25th District, went first at the forum, which was hosted by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, and Democrat Kellen Squire, both running for the 58th District, spoke next.
The Valley’s Republican candidates for the House of Delegates combined have 14 times more money left in their campaign funds than the total dollars among Democratic candidates, according to campaign finance reports. Incumbent Dels. Tony Wilt, Steve Landes and Rob Bell have a combined total of about $457,000 compared with respective Democratic challengers Brent Finnegan, Angela Lynn and Kellen Squire, who had about $33,000 as of the latest reporting period.
Kellen Squire described his first run for political office as “interesting,” a feeling of taking a running jump into a pool, looking down mid-leap and realizing it was the Grand Canyon. Squire began his campaign to represent the 58th District in the House of Delegates in January as the Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Del. Rob Bell in the November election.
Albemarle County resident Kellen Squire announced his candidacy for the House of Delegates earlier this month. He will be the first Democrat to challenge incumbent Del. Rob Bell (R– Albemarle) since Cynthia Neff in 2009. Squire will be only the fourth opponent to run against Bell, who was elected to his seat in 2001.
With the bitterly contested presidential election recently over, thoughts of Central Virginia residents are now free to turn toward this year’s elections as challengers line up to contest local seats for the state’s House of Delegates. Among those facing competition are Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, ... and Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, . Toscano’s challenge comes from a fellow Democrat, Ross Mittiga, who will challenge the delegate in the June 17 primary. Bell’s potential opponent is Kellen Squire, a first-time candidate from rural Albemarle County, a Democrat and father of three who works as an emergency room nurse.
A Greene County resident has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the 58th District State House seat to replace Del. Rob Bell (R-Albemarle), who is seeking to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2017. “Our commonwealth is very blessed to have Del. Rob Bell announce his intention to challenge Mark Herring for Attorney General next year,” Mike Allers in his announcement last Wednesday morning. “We need a Constitutionalist in that office and Mr. Bell will make a good attorney general.”