Saxman feeling his oats?

It was clearly a tongue-in-cheek gesture on Wednesday when Del. Chris Saxman pressed the "no" button to vote against making Rep. Bill Howell the speaker of the House again.

Saxman's was the only red "n" on the voting board and he quickly changed it to a green "y" before the official tally was taken.

But Saxman is something of a rising star in the state GOP after briefly flirting with the idea of taking on former Gov. Jim Gilmore in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. John Warner. Saxman bowed out of that race but not before weeks of political speculation helped raise his statewide profile.

Howell, on the other hand, has faced rumors and innuendo in conservative circles about his post at the top of the House, where the GOP majority has been eroded over the past few elections. Howell ended up getting the full support of the House and strong votes of confidence from fellow lawmakers.

Maybe Saxman was just having a little fun, but it can't be a good time to get giggles about Howell's leadership status. 

Comments

[eileen]

Thanks anyway, Del. Saxman. It gave the Shad Plank a nice opportunity to remind us all about Howell's eroding control.

[Chris Saxman]

I hit the wrong button and saw my mistake which i VERY quickly corrected. Suffice it to say, my colleagues gave me a good ribbing as a result. While i am color blind (red/green), that was not the issue!
It was completely innocent.