Written By: Morgan Malone, Contributing Writer
Senator Ralph Northam and Ben Loyola both spent months campaigning to represent District 6 in the Virginia Senate. Both campaigned on issues ranging from healthcare and transportation to the size of government and education. In the end, it was Northam who topped Loyola by over 5,000 votes.
“I supported him because he presented a mixture of fiscally conservative, but liberal issues. I also supported the social aspects behind Northam’s position like abortion and gay rights and also wanted more Democrats in the Senate,” said Alex Stephens, a junior political science major.
Before losing to Northam, Loyola previously ran for Senate in District 2 back in 2009, eventually losing that race. He had strong support from leading Republicans and had top contributors from the Republican Tea Party.
Throughout the campaign, Northam spoke of improved local transportation, more education, vocational program funding, and better healthcare. To repair the economy, Loyola backed less taxes and less government.
“Education was an important issue that Northam emphasized and he connected with the views of Virginians who want to see education spending increase. That was more in line than Loyola who wanted to cut spending,” said Dr. Jesse Richman, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Geography.
Stephens worked on Northam’s campaign leading up to his election. Alex Stephens, a junior political science major at Old Dominion University, worked Northam’s campaign through the months before he was elected. He really cares about the environment since he’s a native of the shore, and he has also done a lot for transportation in this area. So that also fueled my support,” said Stephens.
“I was very proud when I found out Northam won. Overall, I am expecting him to give a voice to a democratic or at least independent perspective. If he goes up for re-election, I will work with him again because he’s a standup guy rather than just a politician.”
The race between incumbent Northam and challenger Loyola was a closely watched race in Virginia, with Republican Governor Bob McDonnell and Republican lawmakers looking to gain ground politically.
“It was interesting to me that both wanted to tie themselves to the governor. I was not surprised when I found out Northam won; he had the advantage of incumbency and ran an intense get-out-to-vote campaign. “I think he’s been an effective legislator. I’m going to withhold judgment on whether he gets my vote for re-election until I see what he does over these four years,” said Richman.
Photo By Bob Brown
