Torian wins delegate seat over Lopez

Democrat Luke Torian won the delegate seat for the 52nd district, according to numbers from the State Board of Elections.

Torian’s lead the House seat, which is being vacated by Republican Jeffrey Frederick, by 648 votes.

“We feel really good about that lead,” Torian said, by phone at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday “I’m very thankful for all the support … and I’m not surprised the race was this close. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Lopez.”

Lopez is a former Dumfries Town Council member who garnered a range of endorsements, from former Sen. George Allen to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The latter stumped in Dumfries for Republicans, including Lopez, a week ago. Apparently, the support didn’t go far enough.

The seeming elected Torian is pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries and co-president of the Eastern Prince William County Ministerial Association.

He campaigned on a platform of transportation accountability —– ensuring Virginia Department of Transportation dollars are spent wisely and fairly —– and of commuter rail expansion. His transportation plans overlapped his economic development goals; Torian’s campaign Web site suggested that by “eliminating waste [at VDOT] and investing in transportation and education, we can spur economic growth.”

Turnout in Prince William for this particular race hit the 32 percent mark, as the SBE reported at 9:30 p.m. that 15,047 of 47,047 active voters in this district cast ballots. Of that, roughly 52 percent, or 7,848 voters, chose Torian; nearly 48 percent, or 7,156 voters, picked Lopez.

All reported counts are unofficial until Nov. 23, when members of the SBE meet to certify the results.

Staff writer Cheryl Chumley can be reached at 703-670-1907.