LaRock Defeats 10-term Incumbent in 33rd

Voters chose David LaRock in the 33^rd House of Delegates Republican Primary Tuesday over 20-year incumbent Joe T. May after a testy race in which each cast the other as dishonest.

LaRock took more than 57 percent of the vote in the district, while May ended up with less than 43 percent, according to unofficial results from the Virginia State Board of Elections. May came up 758 votes short out of 5,158 votes.

“With the Lord's blessing and lots of hard work from all our supporters, we won the election today …,” LaRock said in a statement posted on his campaign’s Facebook page, adding a thank you from himself and his wife. “Dave, Joanne, and all the campaign staff are very grateful for all the prayers, volunteer time, donations, and other support from all of you.”

LaRock is probably best known in the area for opposing the funding arrangement for the second phase of Metro's Silver Line Ashburn, in particular the reliance of tolls from the Dulles Toll Road.

LaRock will be on the ticket with statewide Republican nominees Ken Cuccinelli (Governor), E.W. Jackson (Lt. Governor), and Mark D. Obenshain (Attorney General) in November.

LaRock will face Democrat Kathee Myers in November. Terry McAuliffe, Ralph Northam and Mark Herring will be on the Democratic ticket, facing Cuccinelli, Jackson and Obenshain, respectively.

The 33^rd District represents parts of Loudoun, Clarke and Frederick counties. The vote was closest in Loudoun, where LaRock won 54 percent to May’s 46 percent. LaRock won by the largest margin in Frederick, 70 percent to 30 percent; while Clarke’s vote more closely reflected the full district, 58 percent to 42 percent.

May was the House Transportation Committee Chairman, and served on the House Appropriations Committee where he was chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee. LaRock campaigned against May’s vote earlier this year in support of a bipartisan transportation package that included significant new revenue.