When Gainesville supervisor John T. Stirrup threw his hat in the ring for the 13th Virginia Senate seat, it left a vacuum quickly filled by six political hopefuls.
On Tuesday evening, Peter Candland emerged “a little tougher, a little bloodier” but ultimately victorious in the Gainesville Republican primary. Candland edged planning commissioner Martha Hendley 1,415 to 1092 while challengers Suzanne Miller, Steve Botello and Michael High garnered 426, 301 and 77 votes, respectively.
“I knew it would be tough and in the end, everyone fought a good race,” Candland said. “I was very fortunate to pull it out.”
Candland will face off against Democrat Ann Wheeler in the November race. Wheeler was Stirrup’s appointee on the Social Services Board.
A father of four, Candland was a member of Stirrup’s budget committee before deciding to run for office this spring.
Candland outraised all of his foes up to the primary, obtained nearly $31,000 in political donations. That’s $13,000 more than Miller, the candidate with the next highest total.
However, his volunteers also played a large role in his victory, said Candland. He said his group of volunteers blanketed the polling places throughout Election Day.
Regarding his next foe, Candland called Wheeler “no slouch.” However, he said he’s extremely confident about November.
“This campaign was not about me, it’s about our conservative message,” Candland said. “Our conservative message resonated with a lot of people.”
Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.
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