12 November 2008

Virginia 2nd

On the Mid-Atlantic Seaboard

Millions flock to Virginia Beach’s shore each summer.

Much of the Virginia 2nd is along the Atlantic coastline and includes rural and urban populations. The largest cities are Norfolk and Virginia Beach, which are home to numerous branches of the U.S. military. Military, shipping, tourism and agriculture are the district's major industries. The Port of Virginia, located in Norfolk, is one of the busiest ports on the East Coast.

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICT

• Democrats Win Big in Virginia 2nd Congressional District

• Virginia Election Board Counters Attempts to Mislead Voters

• Virginia Tourism Reflects National Economic Struggles

• Oil Issue Key in One Virginia Congressional Race

• Virginia 2nd Voters Face Familiar Choices in Senate Race

• Congressional Candidates Take Campaigns to Facebook, MySpace

• Virginia 2nd Defined by the Water Surrounding It

• Immigration Debate Hits Home in Virginia Beach, Virginia

• Transportation a Key Issue in Virginia 2nd

• Virginia 2nd Voters See Election Through Military Lens

The Virginia 2nd has one of the largest military populations of any congressional district.

OVERVIEW

Population: 643,510. The majority of the residents are white, but African Americans represent about 20 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census figures.

Geography: Much of the Virginia 2nd is along the Atlantic coastline and includes rural and urban populations. The largest cities are Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Major industries: Military, shipping, tourism and agriculture are the district's major industry. The Port of Virginia, located in Norfolk, is one of the busiest ports on the East Coast.

Congressional Leaders: Representative Thelma Drake, a Republican, is serving her second term in the House of Representatives. Virginia's senators are James Webb, a first-term Democrat, and John Warner, a fifth-term Republican.

Local Newspapers: The Virginian-Pilot and the Newport News Daily Press

POLITICAL HISTORY

Drake, who has served since 2004, won her 2006 re-election by less than 5,000 votes. Fifty-eight percent of voters picked President Bush in 2004. Not only was Drake's election close in 2006, but the Virginia Senate race between George Allen and Webb was very close. Webb's victory gave Democrats the majority in the 110th Congress.

Senator Warner’s pending retirement led to a contest between former governors Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Jim Gilmore, a Republican to become Virginia’s next senator. In the House of Representatives, incumbent Drake will face Democrat Glenn Nye, a former diplomat. In the past decade, Virginia has tended to vote Republican but in recent years has begun to shift back to Democratic. Lyndon Johnson, in 1964, was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state. Political experts are expecting the 2008 presidential race in Virginia to be close.

KEY ISSUES

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia 2nd has the largest concentration of active-duty military personnel of any congressional district in the United States. Because so many voters have a personal interest in military affairs, Iraq and national security are expected to be a big part of federal and local campaigns. Drake, who visited Iraq in August, has said the surge is working, while groups that disagree have started running television ad campaigns in the district arguing the opposite.

Illegal immigration is an important issue to many voters, in part because of the March death of two teenage girls in Virginia Beach, killed by a drunk driver who was an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. The case launched a local and national debate about immigration laws.

INTERESTING FACT

Many important U.S. military organizations are located in the Virginia 2nd, including the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, the U.S. Joint Forces Command, the Air Combat Command of the U.S. Air Force, the Training and Doctrine Command of the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps Atlantic Forces and NATO's Allied Command Transformation.