Buoyed by a wave of small-government enthusiasm after a march on Washington earlier this year, the region’s tea party movement is sweeping up new acolytes even as controversy swirls around a group deeper South, area organizers said.

Democrat Creigh Deeds wrongly focused on social issues and lost to Republican Robert F. McDonnell in the race for governor in part because young, African-American and other voters who supported Barack Obama a year ago stayed home, a political expert said.

Officials work throughout the day for final tallies

House District 24 Del. Ben Cline defended his seat Tuesday with a dominating victory over Democratic challenger Jeff Price.

“It’s a great night for the [Shenandoah] Valley and for fiscal responsibility and for restoring common sense conservative values to Richmond,” Cline said from a Republican victory party at Salerno’s Restaurant in Lexington. “I commend my opponent for a clean race focused on the issues.”

Incumbent House District 25 Del. Steve Landes crushed his first major party challenge in more than a decade Tuesday, rolling past Democrat Greg Marrow.

Republican Stephanie Beverage will be the next Waynesboro treasurer after scoring a huge election night victory Tuesday.

Four years after losing her bid for the seat, Beverage captured 42 percent of the vote in a four-way race that saw the field double last month. Incumbent Treasurer Sandra “Sandee” Dixon mustered just 27 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Staunton City Sheriff Alex L. Caldwell Jr. cruised to victory Tuesday night, snaring more than two-thirds of the vote.

Caldwell picked up 70 percent of the tally to Democratic challenger Michael S. Painter’s 30 percent.

STAUNTON –  Veteran Staunton City Councilman and Republican Richard “Dickie” Bell won convincingly Tuesday in the state House District 20 race, besting Democrat Erik Curren.

Bell captured 71 percent of the vote to Curren’s 29 percent.

County by county results of the 2009 elections.

The two candidates for House District 25 ended their campaigns on Monday where they started: talking to voters on porches and at front doors.

House District 25 challenger Greg Marrow has enjoyed grueling door-to-door campaigning during his more than eight months as a candidate.

GOP ticket makes a stop in the Shenandoah Valley

The task for the next governor: restore economic hope. Here are the plans to do it:

New resolution specifies ‘what counts as a vote’ for treasurer

Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert F. McDonnell hammered home his message of jobs and the economy during a Friday get-out-the-vote rally before 200 people at Willow Oak Plaza in Waynesboro.

Michael Steele is singing a dramatically different and more upbeat tune these days.

A year ago, when he took over as chairman of the Republican National Committee in the wake of Barack Obama’s presidential election romp, Steele’s party was singing the blues.

Unopposed since 2005 and still ascending the legislative ladder, House District 24 incumbent Ben Cline this year faces Democratic challenger Jeff Price, an historic home contractor with no intentions of becoming a “career politician.”

Incumbent defends decisions

Local House Republican candidates led the campaign fundraising race for the three-week reporting period that ended last week.

And a write-in candidate for Waynesboro city treasurer got the jump on the two ballot candidates, one of them the incumbent.

The race to succeed retiring House District 20 Del. Chris Saxman pits a local political veteran against a businessman and civic leader.

Republican candidate Dickie Bell is an Augusta County special education teacher, veteran Staunton City Council member, and a conservative who believes in limited government and letting the private sector create jobs.

Four candidates for city treasurer tout a variety of work experience and financial management in their campaigns, alongside promises for improvements in the office.

Each, including the incumbent, anticipates the need to learn more about office duties and accounting software.

Democratic delegate vying for attorney general post in Va.

STAUNTON – Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Richard Cranwell and some prominent Shenandoah Valley Democrats came to Staunton on Monday to tout Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds’ job creation and support for rural areas.

Del. Steve Landes unveiled legislation on Monday that would provide state grants to Virginia small businesses who add at least 10 fulltime employees and keep them for a two-year period.

The divide between Greg Marrow and District 25 Del. Steve Landes is more about energy than ideology, the Democratic challenger told The News Virginian on Wednesday.

HARRISONBURG – Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds brought his campaign to young voters Tuesday, appealing to James Madison University’s Young Democrats to help him overcome his deficit in the polls to Republican Robert F. McDonnell.

House District 20 candidates Erik Curren and Dickie Bell displayed sharp differences on transportation and the economy during a televised debate Tuesday night.

HARRISONBURG – House District 25 candidates Steve Landes and Greg Marrow debated health care, transportation and job creation during an hour interview Tuesday morning on Harrisonburg radio station WSVA.

Candidate might have to forgo teaching career if elected

Prodded by his Democratic opponent and three local party chairmen, Del. Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave, refused Thursday to apologize for comments he made at a Republican picnic last month comparing White House tactics to those used by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

VERONA — The Augusta County Board of Supervisors amended the county’s coyote bounty ordinance Wednesday to pay a lesser amount per coyote year round after hearing a county sheep farmer ask them to stop the program.