To the Editor

Thank you for featuring the “Battle for Virginia’s 34th [House of Delegates] District” in the Sept. 15 issue. Del. Margi Vanderhye (D-34) and her challenger, Barbara Comstock, were asked the same questions, giving voters a chance to compare their priorities and strengths. But one question you didn’t ask, and voters would like to have answered, is how the candidates plan to legislate. Will they cross the aisle and seek consensus to find solutions for Virginia, or will they cling to their party and refuse to work with the other side? Comstock has no record to review, but her campaign suggests an answer. For her keynote speaker at a major fund raiser, she chose Karl Rove, a Republican strategist known for his divisive, take-no-prisoners approach to politics.

Vanderhye, in contrast, has been effective because she is ready to work with legislators from both sides of the aisle. Her bills to expand cancer treatment for low-income women, to promote using agricultural wastes to generate electricity, and to streamline state support for the technology industry were passed with votes from both parties. She respects good leadership, regardless of party, listing in one of her Connection answers Republican Brent Scowcroft as a hero. Margi has earned the respect of both parties in the General Assembly, and we need to re-elect her as our delegate because she knows our district, knows our needs, and knows how to be an effective legislator.



Linda Burchfiel

McLean