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The chief judge for the Washington, D.C. appeals court was confirmed in 1997 by 76-23 after being appointed by former President Bill Clinton.

At least seven of the Republican senators who confirmed Garland are still in office, including Sens. Dan Coats, Thad Cochran, Susan Collins, Orrin Hatch, Jim Inhofe, John McCain and Pat Roberts.

Hatch has perhaps offered the most visible praise for Garland among those senators. But he released a statement Wednesday saying he still believes candidates should wait for the next president to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

"I think highly of Judge Garland. But his nomination doesn't in any way change current circumstances," he said. "I remain convinced that the best way for the Senate to do its job is to conduct the confirmation process after this toxic presidential election season is over."

Earlier this week, the Utah Republican suggested Obama nominate Garland.

"(Obama) could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man," Hatch said in Newsmax, adding later, "He probably won't do that because this appointment is about the election."

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad wrote a letter to a fellow Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley, in 1997 to say that Garland had "a distinguished legal career."

"I am writing to ask your support and assistance in the confirmation process for a second cousin ... Merrick Garland has had a distinguished legal career," he wrote, according to the Congressional Record.

During his own confirmation hearings, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, praised Garland's judgment.

"Any time Judge Garland disagrees, you know you're in a difficult area," Roberts said in 2005. "And the function of his dissent, to make us focus on what we were deciding and to make sure that we felt we were doing the right thing, I think was well-served. But Judge Garland disagreed, and so it's obviously, to me, a case on which reasonable judges can disagree."

Garland is "an intelligent, experienced and even-handed individual," according to former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a Republican who found Garland's work on the Oklahoma City bombing case particularly notable and inspiring.

"Last April, in Oklahoma City, Merrick was at the helm of the Justice Department's investigation following the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, the bloodiest and most tragic act of terrorism on American soil," Keating wrote to then-Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole in 1996, according to the Congressional Record. "During the investigation, Merrick distinguished himself in a situation where he had to lead a highly complicated investigation and make quick decisions during critical times. Merrick Garland is an intelligent, experienced and evenhanded individual."

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Republicans have repeatedly praised Merrick Garland

Over the past two decades, devotees of the Republican party and the advancement of its principles have been well served by a strong stomach. Indeed, one could scarcely blame them for feeling as if they were riding on a roller coaster, with one important difference: At least if they were on a carnival ride, they could theoretically have asked that it be stopped so they could get off.

As far back as 1994, the GOP enjoyed a political windfall when midterm election results awarded them control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Termed then the Republican Revolution, some optimistic fellows on the right even dared to declare that a permanent majority had begun, with the US congress becoming red for the foreseeable future. They suffered under a Democratic President at the time, but had high hopes of changing that in two short years.

Frustration in the presidential election of 1996, however, resulting in the reelection of President Bill Clinton, meant that the Republicans would have to wait a total of six years after their landslide to take the White House and dominate American government. Unfortunately, this was when the roller coaster began to dip, as President George W Bush would prove to be one of the least popular commanders in chief in the nation's history, provoking a backlash against Republican rule that began in the 2006 midterms ending the supposed permanent majority in the Senate - and culminated in 2008 with the election of current President Barack Obama. The Revolution was over.

Or was it? While unmistakably starting strong, President Obama's approval ratings have suffered as estimations of the country's prosperity remain lukewarm. Between a sluggish economy whose recovery has yet to be felt by many Americans still seeking work and popular wariness over Obama's much-trumpeted healthcare plan, the Democratic party paid for its President's poor image during the 2014 midterm elections: An 8-seat loss in the Senate cost them their hard-won control of that chamber of congress, while a net loss of 15 seats in the House of Representatives forced them to cede a stronger majority there to a Republican party otherwise smarting from '06 and '08.

Nowadays, of course, the GOP is all about claiming victory in the 2016 presidential election, and fortune may favor them in that pursuit, as well. While the time was that their party gave the appearance of being fractured and belligerent against itself with some 17 Republican candidates considered viable for the nomination, the ongoing primary season has welcomely whittled down their list of serious contenders to just a handful. Simultaneously, ongoing questions concerning Hillary Clinton's scandals and the surprisingly strong primary performance of Bernie Sanders have eroded the image once enjoyed by the Democratic party of merely ushering in an heiress, and thrown the identity of their party's nominee (and the apparent unity that came with having a shoo-in candidate) into real question.

Meanwhile, the Republicans even with a divided field - have long hosted a contender who has consistently remained at the top of national polls: Donald Trump. The tough-talking New York business mogul is by no means a sure thing, not since Ted Cruz prevailed in the critical Iowa caucus, but Trump remains the clear GOP frontrunner. Moreover, his popularity stubbornly refuses to erode, even in the face of remarks he has made and policy positions he has taken that have been considered extreme by many. He wants to round up and deport immigrants present in the country illegally and build a fence along the southern border for which he plans to maneuver Mexico into paying, he has praised low wages for workers as vital to keeping American businesses competitive internationally, and he favors a temporary moratorium on allowing people of the Islamic faith to enter the United States. It's the kind of gloves-off attitude that has excited the conservative base and led Trump to such impressive popularity, but it carries its own risks: Many analysts worry that he is too harsh and severe to be electable, and that his nomination could set the GOP up for defeat at the ballot box.

It's far from clear how the Republican candidates will fare in the coming 2016 election. Their opponents' greatest strength a clear nominee behind whom virtually the entire party was united may have evaporated as Clinton finds herself on the defensive against an encroaching Sanders, but Donald Trump's seemingly-unstoppable popularity could well carry him to a 2016 GOP nomination that risks proving more of a curse than a blessing.

We profile all official candidates, from all political parties, on a level platform. Some may be nutcases, but most are respectable individuals with legitimate positions on the issues. Any officially registered candidates not included may be fictitious, or have insufficient available information from which to build a profile.

We dont know if any of these candidates would make a better president than a career politician, just as there's no guarantee that any of the 2016 campaign promises will actually be kept.

Word of mouth and today's web of social networks empower 'We the People' to promote a candidate more effectively than any media conglomerate, and subsequently scrutinize their every detail in thousands of national online platforms.

Take a look at the candidates, visit their websites and if you find them worthy of being given a chance, share their candidacy with friends and family.

May the best person win!

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Republican Presidential Candidates 2016

There's poetic justice in Trump's rise to the top of the GOP presidential field. The GOP is reaping precisely what it has sown.

Dave Pruett

Former NASA researcher; Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, James Madison University

When Michigan can't ensure safe drinking water in a major city and can't figure out how to educate children in its biggest school district, it's safe to say that our state's vaunted "comeback" is incomplete.

Get ready New York City - Ron and Laura Grawsill of Bakersfield, California are going to be taking over for the next week.

This article was originally posted on Inverse. ...

Sailors have many tales of the dangers of the seas, which include vicious sea serpents and whirlpools. And for the terrors he strikes in many people t...

Trump's political campaign has devolved into a freak show that demonstrates our worst selves on the global stage. We also have to remember that the whole world (not just Americans) is watching. I get calls and emails from overseas wondering if Americans have lost their collective minds.

Mary Buffett

Author, international speaker, entrepreneur, political and environmental activist

Every conversation I am in about this year's presidential primary campaign regardless of the person's political affiliation quickly evolves into an expression of strong feeling and concern about what it reflects about the current state of our political dysfunction.

The signs can be found at numerous rallies Republican and Tea Party alike. There is no mistake in the hidden meaning of these words when you read "we want to take our country back," or hear presidential candidates like Donald Trump repeat them.

Republican insiders were saying, as far back as 2012, that the real political battle they cared about was not the White House, but control of the future of a party about to fracture and be transformed.

Carl Pope

Former executive director and chairman, Sierra Club

President Obama ramped up the pressure on Republicans today by withdrawing his nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court and replacing him with what he believes to be the ultimate consensus and "Holier than thou" candidate: Jesus of Nazareth.

Flora Nicholas

(Non) Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning writer, producer, director

Trump is increasingly scaring everyone, as he is more and more seen as a fearsome monster who has to be stopped.

Getting away from D.C. every so often helps with perspective. Life inside the Beltway can cloud one's views and lead to an inflated sense of axis mun...

Michael Farr

President and majority owner, Farr, Miller & Washington, LLC

Dear Cherished Friends, The Republican Party has become intellectually and morally bankrupt, a mockery of its traditions -- corrosive to our society, our civility, and our capacity to govern. This is not a temporary condition; it is woven into the fabric of the party. Unless and until it reverses course, you should take your votes and money and walk away. I never thought I would presume to say this. I respect that your allegiance is rooted in considered beliefs and years of loyalty which, at the beginning of my political journey, I shared. I certainly don't think I have all the answers, and I enjoy exploring our differences. You inform me, correct me and, most generously, tolerate me. You care, as do I, about the world we are leaving the next generations.

For all of his bravado, obnoxiousness, hatred, and vitriol, the scariest thing about Trump to me is his unique combination of ignorance about the world, convolved with ignorance about himself.

Lawrence M. Krauss

Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University; Author, 'A Universe From Nothing'

Between now and March 26, voters who are feeling the Bern in Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove the pundits wrong by propelling Sanders toward victory in Philadelphia. We need our strongest fighter in the ring this fall. That fighter is Bernie Sanders.

Tom Weis

President, Climate Crisis Solutions

During the year that was 2015, we were all laughing about Mr. Trump run for President. His crazy inappropriate remarks about made us believe that he could in no way be the frontrunner for the Republican Party. But as the year 2016 dawned on us Trump's increasing support became obvious.

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Republicans: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

All Commentary & News Stories

- Myth of the Stay-at-Home Republican - Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal

- How White House Learned to Be Liberal - Jonathan Chait, NY Magazine

- Mitt Romney in Denial After 2012 Defeat - Dan Balz, Changing Lanes

- N.C. Finds 35K Incidents of 'Double Voting' in 2012 - Andrew Johnson, NRO

- White House Delayed Policies Ahead of Election - Juliet Eilperin, Wash Post

- Double Down: The War of Umbrage - Michael Kinsley, New York Times

- How Much Does Voter Ignorance Mattter? - Sean Trende, Cato Unbound

- Romney Camp's Own Polls Showed It Would Lose - John Sides, Wash Post

- No Drama Obama's Dramatic 2012 Reelection - Richard Wolffe, Daily Beast

- Can Twitter Predict Elections? Not So Fast - Mark Blumenthal, Huff Post

- How Twitter Can Help Predict an Election - Fabio Rojas, Washington Post

- Yes, the Missing White Voters Matter - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics

- Case of the Missing White Voters, Revisited - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics

- Why Republicans Lost the Vote But Kept the House - Sean Trende, RCP

- Sweeping Conclusions From CPS Data Are a Mistake - Sean Trende, RCP

- Black Turnout, GOP Denial Both High - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast

- Not Every GOP Approach Will Work Everywhere - Jim Geraghty, The Corner

- Did Dems Get Lucky in the Electoral College? - Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight

- Better Technology Won't Save the GOP - Jamelle Bouie, TAPPED

- Why Stuart Stevens is Right - Chris Cillizza, The Fix

- Why Black Voters Are Critical to the GOP - Jamelle Bouie, TAPPED

- Republicans Shouldn't Be Too Reasonable - Jonathan Tobin, Commentary

- The Republican Renewal - Yuval Levin, The Corner

- Long Voting Lines & Democratic Cities - Hans von Spakovsky, The Foundry

- A Lot of Cooks in the GOP Kitchen - Steve Benen, Maddow Blog

- Are Democratic Senators Frightnened? - Ed Kilgore, Political Animal

- Is a Franken-Bachmann Showdown on the Horizon? - Scott Conroy, RCP

- GOP Makeover is Purely Cosmetic - Greg Sargent, Plum Line

- Republicans Facing a Grim Reality - Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

- The Establishment, the Tea Party and Blame - Jamelle Bouie, TAPPED

- The Great Gerrymander of 2012 - Sam Wang, New York Times

- New GOP Strategy: Run Subtle, Run Deep - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

- GOP Doesn't Know It Has a Problem - Steve Benen, Maddow Blog

- GOP Could Be in the Wilderness For Awhile - Daniel Larison, TAC

- The Necessity of Second Inaugurals - Susan Milligan, TJS

- A President Who Has Learned Nothing - Jonathan Tobin, Contentions

- GOP Must Accept Reality of Single Moms - Lori Sanders, Ideas

- What Obama, Romney Spent Per Vote - David Boaz, @Liberty

- To Pick Cabinet, GOP Should Win More - Jamelle Bouie, Plum Line

- The Future of Conservative 'Populism' - Ed Kilgore, Political Animal

- Obama's Vote Total Puts Him in a Small Club - Steve Benen, Maddow Blog

- Conservative Populism Worthy of the Name - Ross Douthat, Evaluations

- Lessons for Both Parties From the 2012 Elections - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg

- Why the Election Polls Missed the Mark - Steven Shepard, National Journal

- In Montana, Dark Money Helped Keep Dem Seat - Kim Barker, ProPublica

- What 2012 Population Estimates Could Mean in 2020 - Sean Trende, RCP

- The GOP Really Hits Bottom - Jonathan Tobin, Contentions

- Pelosi Stalls on the Ethics Committee - Lachlan Markay, The Foundry

- The Real Presidential Election is Today - England & Ross, The Corner

- The Best and Worst of 2012, Part II - Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call

- The Age of GOP Governors - Peter Wehner, Contentions

- Best and Worst of the 2012 Campaigns - Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call

- Big Money Played Destructive Role in 2012 - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg

- Team Obama Tries to Reframe Brutish Win - Jason Zengerle, NY Magazine

- Were Super PACs a Giant Waste of Money? - Robert Schlesinger, TJS

- Ten Encouraging Signs for Republicans - Jennifer Rubin, Right Turn

- A Conservative Purge in the House? - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

- Whither the Tea Party? - Chris Cillizza, The Fix

- Republicans Get Religion on Campaign Tech - Tim Murphy, Mother Jones

- How Both Parties Borrow From Europe - Jamelle Bouie, TAPPED

- Swing Counties Tell Story of Romney's Defeat - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg

- Class Wars of 2012 - Paul Krugman, New York Times

- The Science Behind Those Obama E-Mails - Joshua Green, Bloomberg BW

- The Racializing of American Politics - Daniel Henninger, Wall St. Journal

- GOP Can't Afford to Ignore Health Care - Philip Klein, Beltway Confidential

- How Can the GOP Win? Find a Good Candidate - Noemie Emery, Examiner

- The Coming Liberal Wave - Jamelle Bouie, The American Prospect

- Why the Right's Reaction to Moore Matters - Steve Benen, Maddow Blog

- Why Republicans Should Have Won the Election - Chris Cillizza, The Fix

- Learning From the Election - Victor Davis Hanson, PJ Media

- The GOP's Senate Problem - Ramesh Ponnuru, The Corner

- States Choose Own Paths - Michael Barone, Washington Examiner

- What Do Republicans Want? - Paul Waldman, TAPPED

- The Norquist Rebellion Isn't News - David Dayen, Firedoglake

- Republican Senate Hopes For 2014 Get a Boost - Paul Mirengoff, PowerLine

- Analyst on Young Voters in the 2012 Election - The NewsHour

- 2012: Arrival of Reconfigured America - Ron Brownstein, National Journal

- Republicans' Voter Suppression Strategy - Ari Berman, The Nation

- A Return to Trench Warfare Politics - Michael Barone, DC Examiner

- Shields and Brooks on the Week in Politics - The NewsHour

- The Enduring Threat of GOP Challengers - Steve Benen, Maddow Blog

- The Next Conservatives? - Steven Hayward, PowerLine

- Challengers for Chambliss? - Michael Warren, The Blog

- Analysts on the Campaign Finance in 2012 - The NewsHour

- How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers - Timothy Noah, The Plank

- Remember the Provisional Ballot Problem? - Abby Rapoport, TAPPED

- Polarization and Federalism - Ed Kilgore, Political Animal

- Is the White House Ready to Go Over the Cliff? - Greg Sargent, Plum Line

- Sources of Conservative Renewal - Rod Dreher, TAC

- The Fiscal Cliff and Downgrading U.S. Debt - Rebecca Thiess, EPI

- Should Obama Call the GOP's Bluff? - Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

- Democrats' Electoral College Advantage - Jonathan Bernstein, PostPartisan

- The Liberal Gloat - Ross Douthat, New York Times

- Our Suddenly Race-Obsessed Politics - Mark Steyn, National Review

- The Political Landscape After 2012 - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics

- Feminists for the Win in 2012 - Jessica Valenti, The Nation

- Jackson-Vanik Ends, But Legacy Continues - Seth Mandel, Contentions

- The Coming Democratic Fights - Ed Kilgore, Political Animal

- Social Issues: Should Republicans Re-Calibrate? - Paul Mirengoff, PowerLine

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Generic Congressional Vote - RealClearPolitics

Current elected officialsEdit

The Republican Party of Virginia holds majorities in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, and eight of the eleven U.S. House seats are held by Republicans.

Liam McNabola is the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. He was appointed interim Chairman in a meeting of the State Central Committee on May 3, 2009, and elected to a full term as chairman at the State Convention on May 30, 2009. On November 5, 2014, McNabola announced his retirement.[2]

The current executive director is Shaun Kenney, who was appointed by McNabola on April 2, 2014.[3]

Kate Obenshain Griffin of Winchester became the party's chairman in 2004. Following Senator George Allen's unsuccessful 2006 reelection bid, Griffin submitted her resignation as Chairman effective November 15, 2006. Her brother, Mark Obenshain, is a State Senator from Harrisonburg in the Virginia General Assembly. Both are the children of the late Richard D. Obenshain.

Ed Gillespie was elected as the new Chairman of the RPV on December 2, 2006. He resigned on June 13, 2007 to become the counselor to President George W. Bush. Mike Thomas served as interim chairman until July 21 when former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia John H. Hager was elected chairman. On April 9, 2007 the RPV named Fred Malek to serve as the Finance Chairman and Lisa Gable to serve as the Finance Committee Co-Chair.[4]

On May 31, 2008, Hager was defeated in his bid for re-election at a statewide GOP convention by a strongly conservative member of the House of Delegates, Jeff Frederick of Prince William County. Frederick, who was then 32years old, was the 5th party chairman in 5years. The following year, Frederick was removed from the position by RPV's State Central Committee,[5][6] with the backing of most the senior GOP establishment. Many argued that Frederick's election and later removal was a war within the party between insiders and outsiders[7] (or grassroots versus establishment[8]). After his removal, Frederick considered seeking the chairman job again at the party's 2009 convention, but later declined.[9][10] On May 30, 2009, the State Convention selected former Fairfax party chairman and current Louisa chairman Pat Mullins to serve as party chair over Bill Stanley, the Frankin County party chairman. Many of Frederick's supporters supported Stanley in that race.[11] Frederick went on to win the Republican nomination for the 36th District state Senate seat in the 2011 election in the primary on August 23, 2011.[12]

The State Party Plan[13] specifies the organization of the state party and how candidates will be selected. The 79-member State Central Committee sets the policy and plans for the party between larger State Conventions, which gather at least once every four years.

Candidates for elective office can be selected by (1) mass meetings, (2) party canvasses, (3) conventions, or (4) primaries. A mass meeting consists of a meeting where any participants must remain until votes are taken at the end. A party canvass or "firehouse primary" allows participants to arrive anytime during announced polling hours, cast a secret ballot, and then leave. A convention includes a process for selecting delegates, and then only the delegates may vote. Mass meetings, party canvasses and conventions are conducted by party officials and volunteers. Primaries are administered by the State Board of Elections at all established polling places. Because Virginia does not have party registrations, participation in primaries are open to any register voter regardless of party. However, on June 15, 2006, the Plan was amended to redefine a primary:

"Primary" is as defined in and subject to the Election Laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, except to the extent that any provisions of such laws conflict with this Plan, infringe the right to freedom of association, or are otherwise invalid.

At the same time, the Plan was amended to require participants in any of the candidate selection methods to "express in open meeting either orally or in writing as may be required their intent to support all [Republican] nominees for public office in the ensuing election".

The candidate selection process has been criticized as favoring "party insiders" and disfavoring moderate candidates. For example, both Jim Gilmore and the more moderate Thomas M. Davis were seeking the 2008 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. However, two weeks following the decision that the candidate will be selected at a convention instead of a primary,[14] Davis announced that he would not seek the nomination.

Virginia does not provide for voters to register by party. Virginia law requires "open" primaries that are not restricted based on party registration:

All persons qualified to vote... may vote at the primary. No person shall vote for the candidates of more than one party.[15]

In 2004, the Republican Party amended the State Party Plan to attempt to restrict participation in primaries to exclude voters who had voted in a Democratic primary after March 1, 2004, or in the last five years, whichever is more recent. In August 2004, Stephen Martin, an incumbent State Senator, designated that the Republican candidate for his seat in the November 2007 election should be selected by primary. The Republicans then sued the State Board of Elections demanding a closed primary be held, with taxpayer funding of a mechanism to exclude voters who had participated in past Democratic primaries.[16]

The Federal District Court dismissed the suit on standing and ripeness grounds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed and sent the case back for a trial on its merits. The District Court then ruled that the rule forcing a party to accept the choice of its incumbent office holder of an open primary was unconstitutional. The state could continue to hold open primaries if a party opted for a primary instead of a mass meeting, party canvass, or convention to choose its nominees.[17] On October 1, 2007, the Fourth Circuit affirmed this holding, which largely left Virginia's primary system intact, striking down only the rule allowing an incumbent officeholder to choose an open primary over the objection of his or her party.[18]

The Republican State Central Committee dropped plans to require voters to sign a loyalty oath before voting in the February 2008 Presidential Primary. The party had proposed to require each voter to sign a pledge stating "I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican Party for President." However, there was no way to enforce the pledge, and the proposal caused vocal public opposition.[19]

At a March 20, 2014 mass meeting, John Ferguson defeated Leslie Williams to become Chair of the Campbell County Republican Committee. Williams unsuccessfully challenged the meeting before the county committee and the Fifth Congressional District Republican Committee. However, the State Central Committee overturned the vote on the grounds that school teachers and public employees participated in the meeting and that they must have been Democrats. In response, Ferguson and the other party officials that were elected filed a lawsuit to block a new mass meeting to fill the seats.[20]

The party headquarters building is named the Richard D. Obenshain Center in memory of Richard D. Obenshain (19361978), the State Party Chairman who beginning in 1972, helped lead the party's renaissance in Virginia following 95years of virtual control by the State's Democratic Party (since Reconstruction except when William Mahone and the Readjuster Party coalition dominated affairs for a few years).

In 1978, "Dick" Obenshain had won the party's nomination to run for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Senator William Scott when the 42-year-old candidate and two others were killed in an airplane crash of a twin engine aircraft on August 2, 1978 while attempting a night landing at the Chesterfield County Airport. They had been returning to Richmond from a campaign appearance.

While Virginia Republicans take positions on a wide variety of issues, some of the noteworthy ones include:

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama won Virginia's 13 electoral votes in the 2008 presidential election, taking 1.96million votes (52.6%) to Republican nominee John McCain's 1.73million votes (46.3%).[51][52] Democrat Mark Warner soundly defeated Republican Jim Gilmore in Virginia's U.S. Senate race by a margin of 65%-34%.[53] In the House elections, two Republican incumbents, Virgil Goode and Thelma Drake, were unseated, with Goode losing to Democrat Tom Perriello by just 727 votes.[54][55] Democrat Gerry Connolly took the open seat held by the retiring Republican Tom Davis.[56] As a result of the 2008 elections, Democrats took control of both the state's U.S. Senate seats and the state's House delegation.[55]

The Republican Party sought to reverse its November 2008 losses in a series of special elections which historically draw low voter turnout. In the January 13 special election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Delegate Brian Moran to run for Governor, Democrat Charniele Herring became the first African-American woman from Northern Virginia to be elected to the House of Delegates, defeating Republican candidate Joe Murray by 16 votes.[57] She was seated on Jan. 26, following repeated efforts by the Republican caucus to delay her seating until a recount could be completed.[58]

Because Gerry Connolly was elected to Congress from the 11th District, a special election was held on February 3 to fill his seat as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. In that election, about 16% of the registered voters participated, and Democrat Sharon Bulova defeated Republican Pat Herrity by 1,206 votes. Anthony Bedell, chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Party told the Washington Post, "In November, we got our clocks cleaned. Three months later, even in a special this was a squeaker. That's good news for Republicans."[59]

Another special election was held to fill Bulova's Braddock District board seat on March 10.[59] Republican John Cook won the seat by 89 votes.[60]

Virginia and New Jersey were the only states to hold statewide elections in 2009. The Republicans selected their candidates at a State Convention held on May 2930, 2009 in Richmond. Former Attorney General of Virginia Bob McDonnell was nominated for Governor. "His candidacy is part of a Republican renaissance that starts this year in Virginia," said Michael Steele chair of the Republican National Committee.[11] Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, who declined to run for governor to avoid a primary fight with McDonnell, defeated Patrick Muldoon for the Lieutenant Governor nomination.[11][61]State Senator Ken Cuccinelli, who the Washington Post described as "one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly," defeated John Brownlee and David M. Foster for the Attorney General nomination.[11]

All three candidates won handily in the November elections, in a victory for Republicans that was seen as a rebuke of the Democratic Party's policies in the White House and Congress.[62]

All 100 House seats were up for election in 2009. Republicans took nine seats held by Democrats while just one Democrat took a seat held by a Republican, for a net gain of eight seats and a 59-seat majority.

On January 12, 2010, in a special election for the 37th State Senate district, Democrat Dave W. Marsden beat Republican Steve M. Hunt by a 327-vote margin.[63] In the 8th State Senate district, Republican Jeff L. McWaters beat Democrat William W. "Bill" Fleming by a vote of 78-21%.[64] On March 2, 2010, Democrat Eileen Filler-Corn was elected to fill Marsden's Delegate seat by 37 votes, out of 11,528 cast. Because the vote margin was within 0.5%, the state will pay for a recount.[65][66] She was sworn in on March 3, 2010 after her opponent dropped his plans to request a recount.[67]

All of the state's 11 U.S. House seats were up for election in 2010 (neither U.S. Senate seat was up for election). Republicans picked up three seats held by Democrats. Auto dealer Scott Rigell defeated freshman Democratic incumbent Glenn Nye 53%-42% in the 2nd District.[68][69] Attorney Robert Hurt defeated freshman Democratic incumbent Tom Perriello 51%-47% in the 5th District.[69][70] And House of Delegates Majority Leader Morgan Griffith defeated 28-year Democratic incumbent Rick Boucher 51%-46% in the 9th District.[69][71] With the election, Republicans now hold 8 of Virginia's 11 House seats.

After Republicans took control of the U.S. House in the elections, Virginia Republican Eric Cantor of the 7th District was elected House Majority Leader.[72]

On November 8, 2011, Republicans got control of the State Senate with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling as the tie breaking vote and increased their majority in the State House to a 68-seat vote margin making it the Republican Party's largest majority in history. It was the second time since the Reconstruction Era that the Republican Party simultaneously had a majority in the State House, a majority in the State Senate, and a sitting governor.

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Republican Party of Virginia - Wikipedia, the free ...