GOP primary for U.S. Senate race set for June 18
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, April 18 — In two months, ballots for the 2024 general election will be finalized. With the June 18 deadline for candidates looming, Luray presents the only races to surface so far. A two-way race for mayor evolved early this year and at least four individuals have shown interest in three council seats up for grabs in November. Stanley and Shenandoah currently have no candidates registered for eight open seats with just over eight weeks left to file.
Luray resident Wendy Holtzman was the first to file her candidacy for council on Jan. 18, followed by fellow newcomer Robert Spencer just eight days later. Incumbent Jason Pettit filed his intentions to run for another four-year term on Feb. 13. Fellow incumbent Joey Sours has picked up paperwork from the registrar’s office, but has yet to officially file his candidacy to retain his seat. The third open seat on the Luray Council is currently held by Ligon Webb, who recently started a new role as the Director of Planning for Powhatan County. Webb is not running for re-election and has stated that he intends to be present for his remaining eight meetings, but will likely attend work sessions remotely. Voters will have the opportunity to vote for three candidates to fill three open seats.
The race for Mayor of Luray also started early as council member Stephanie Lilliard filed the paperwork for her candidacy on Feb. 9 and fellow councilman Ron Vickers filed three days later. So far, no other candidates have shown interest in entering the mayoral race. However, with both candidates currently serving four-year terms on the council, the winner will create another vacancy on the council that fellow members will likely fill by appointment in January or February. Current Mayor Jerry Dofflemyer does not plan to run for re-election.
In Stanley, Mayor Michael Knight is up for re-election, along with council members Jeremiah Knight and Joseph Mauck. A special election will also be held to fill the vacancy left by the recent passing of councilman Duane Layman.
In Shenandoah, Mayor Clinton Lucas is up for another two-year term, while council terms expire at the end of the year for Mike Lowe and Richard Pierce. A special election will be held for the seat won by Chris Reisinger last fall. The seat was left vacant after the departure of Russ Comer last summer. Reisinger must now run to finish the unexpired term he took over at the start of the year.
Candidates in Luray and Shenandoah must get 50 signatures from registered voters within their respective municipalities in order to qualify for the November ballot. Stanley candidates do not because the town has less than 1,500 registered voters. (This has been corrected from initial reporting in the story.)
Candidates have until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18 to file their paperwork with the county registrar’s office. With candidate paperwork available online, some candidates could be working through their signatures and filing “under the radar” at this point, and competition is expected to grow — especially in the Luray Council race.
Also happening on Tuesday, June 18, the Republican primary will be held to select a candidate to run against incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine for his U.S. Senate seat. The GOP ballot is as follows:
- Hung Cao
- Edward C. “Eddie” Garcia Jr.
- Jonathan W. Emrod
- C.L. “Chuck” Smith Jr.
- Scott Thomas Parkinson
The November ballot will include federal races, such as the U.S. Senate seat mentioned above and Republican Ben Cline’s seat in the House of Representatives (against Democratic challenger Ken Mitchell), as well as the race for the Oval Office. Town elections will be the only local choices on the Nov. 5 ballot.
For more information about local elections, contact the Page County Voter Registrar’s office at 540-743-3986 or drop by their office at the Page County Government Center, 103 S. Court St., Suite D, Luray.
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