Rishell's hope: Third time's a charm

Though a cliche, it's an inevitable question in the race for the 50th District seat in the House of Delegates:

Will the third time be the charm for Jeanette Rishell?

The Democrat has run twice before for the seat that represents Manassas, Manassas Park and part of western Prince William County: in a 2006 special election and again in 2007.

Both times she faced Del. Jackson H. Miller, and both times the Republican won.

But Rishell said that more than 5,000 new voters in the district, who registered during last year's Obamamania, brought a new level of excitement.

"And, of course, our job is to keep them excited," said Rishell, who lives in Manassas Park.

Because the rivals know each other well, they've traded their share of barbs this year.

The race has also seen controversy. This summer, the Rishell campaign tangled with Greg Letiecq, who runs the local blog Black Velvet Bruce Li.

Letiecq, a frequent Rishell critic, posted to YouTube a video slamming Rishell campaign manager Ilana Kaplan-Shain.

It used images from Kaplan-Shain's profile on the social-networking site Facebook and suggested she was morally deficient.

Kaplan-Shain asked YouTube to take the video down, but it was eventually restored.

The next hullaballoo came over a debate planned by the NAACP's Prince William County branch.

When Miller said he couldn't make the event, Rishell said he was trying to duck it.

The incumbent, however, said the date was the problem, not the event itself, and the rescheduled forum was held last week.

Then there was the matter of the state teachers union endorsement.

The Virginia Education Association backed Miller this year, a turn of events that's a boon for a Republican.

But local Democrats recently handed out fliers that said Rishell had the teachers' backing.

They weren't trying to pull a fast one, though. Someone mistakenly picked up literature from a previous campaign when Rishell got the endorsement.

She did receive support from the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, the AFL-CIO and related groups, and others.

Miller, however, has called Rishell disingenuous for claiming support for both Virginia's right-to-work law and collective bargaining.

On the other hand, she said he's waffling on support for the Governor's Opportunity Fund, a pot of money the state uses to attract or retain businesses.

Miller voted for a decrease in the fund in 2007, but he's been campaigning on the notion of increasing the fund, which Rishell said she supports.

They also agree on the importance of property rights and on helping small businesses.

The money race in the 50th District is also the closest of any in the Prince William area.

Rishell had raised $279,475 as of Sept. 30, according to the State Board of Elections, and spent $254,051.

Miller was close behind. He had raised $236,012 as of Sept. 30, and spent $157,729.

Who will garner the important number -- the winning number of votes -- won't be known until Nov. 3, however.

Rishell said the area needs new leadership and that she can build consensus in Richmond.

Miller, meanwhile, wants two more years to serve his constituents.

At a debate before the nonpartisan Prince William Committee of 100, he said that when people called him with a problem during his time in office, he didn't ask whether they were Republicans or Democrats.

"I asked them, 'How can I help?'" he said.

Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.