NN GOP Chair: Negative ads hurt Chohany

 Newport News Republican City Committee Chairman Chuck Young says the negative ads toward the end of the race hurt Mickey Chohany's campaign against Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News.

 "I was disappointed for Mickey Chohany," Young said. "I thought it was a close result for a closely contested election."

But Young said a state party ad that tried to link Miller to imprisoned former Del. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News, ultimately backfired with voters. The ad slammed Miller for backing legislation to give Virginia aviation companies tax breaks before getting a job at Orion, a company that benefited from the exemptions.

The implication was that Miller used his position to gain employment, as Hamilton did to get a job at a teacher training center at Old Dominion University. Hamilton was sentenced to 9 1/2 years in jail on federal corruption charges.  

Chohany asked state party officials to pull Hamilton's image from the television ad and a mailer, calling the images "gratuitous and unnecessary portrayals."

Miller fired back with a negative ad of his own, blasting Chohany for health citations received at his restaurant. But Young said the fallout from the initial ads featuring Hamilton threw Chohany off message against the incumbent Miller.

"I think it immediately reminds us that running a positive, values-oriented campaign is always the right strategy. When we get diverted from that, we don’t do the voters any service," Young said.

Young contrasted the race with the successful campaigns of David Yancey, who was elected to the 94th District House of Delegates seat, and Mike Watson, who defeated Del. Robin Abbott, D-Newport News.

 "I think voters  are looking to find the qualities of the person running and don’t like negative campaigns," Young said.

 David Rexrode, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, said he had no regrets about the ads tying Miller to Hamilton.

"I don’t think we would have done anything different," Rexrode said. "I think it's an issue that the voters should hear about."

Rexrode said he didn't think the negative ad was to blame for Chohany's loss, but blamed redistricting of Miller's seat by the then Democrat-controlled Senate. "Democrats drew the lines in a very particular manner to protect their incumbents," Rexrode said.

Chohany asks RPV to pull Miller TV ad

Republican challenger in the state's 1st Senate District asked the Republican Party of Virginia Thursday to stop running a campaign ad comparing his opponent Sen. John Miller to disgraced former delegate Phil Hamilton who was convicted for bribery and extortion.

The ad which was independently paid for and distributed by the RPV insinuates that Miller, D-Newport News, taking a job with Orion Air Group after he cosponsored and voted for legislation that the company ultimately benefit from was the same type of behavior Hamilton received a 91/2 year federal prison sentence for when he he lobbied Old Dominion University for a job at the same time he was securing funding for the university.

Miller has denied the allegations, and no one has produced any evidence that he did the same thing as Hamilton.

Here is Chohany's complete statement released by his campaign Thursday night: 

"Earlier this week, the Republican Party of Virginia began airing a television advertisement and issued a mail piece against my Democrat opponent, Senator John Miller, that I neither authorized nor was made aware of prior to their release.

 

Both of these advertisements contain gratuitous and unnecessary portrayals of former Delegate Phil Hamilton. 

 

Today, I contacted officials at the Republican Party of Virginia and urged them to remove Delegate Hamilton’s image from the television ad and to not pursue any further advertisements that feature depictions of him.

 

It is my sincere hope that they comply with my request."

Kaine, McDonnell to headline events with 6th Senate Dist. candidates this week

In the final week leading up to the Nov. 8 election some of the state's political heavy hitters are joining Sen. Ralph Northam and his Republican challenger in the 6th Senate District Ben Loyola at respective campaign events.

The first comes Tuesday, Nov. 1, with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and former Gov. Tim Kaine joining Northam, D-Norfolk, for a get out the vote rally in Norfolk.

Kaine and Northam will be at The Metropolitan at  77246 Granby Street at 6 p.m.

Loyola is following suit with his own get out the vote rally in Norfolk on Saturday, Nov. 5, with Gov. Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

Loyala's rally starts at 7 p.m. at Granby High School, 7101 Granby St.

The big names are coming out as the Democrats and Republicans are waging a fierce battle this year for control of the state Senate. Republicans are hoping to pick up at least two seats in order to take control of the chamber back from the Democrats, who hold a 22-18 advantage.