Surprise Win for Phillips - 33rd Senatorial District Primary

The results of the Republican primary for the 33rd senatorial district surprised many. Patricia Phillips won. I can say without any doubt that I did not see a single ad posted anywhere in the county by the Phillips camp, whereas the well-funded Andrews camp had quite a few. And I would say, Andrews had more name recognition. Does this tell us anything about the electorate? From all accounts including fellow blogger - Gateway to Loudoun , turnout was relatively low, that leads me to the question why is voter participation in elections dropping?

According to a recent news report, many people in our county are not even aware that a major election season is upon us. Quite a few elected officials are returning unopposed or with very weak opposition. In my opinion, that is not democracy. These elected officials are going to be making decisions that will affect us and our families. Are we making sure that we are selecting from the best pool of resources? We need a vibrant primary system, we need more people to come out and challenge the political establishment – Loudoun is filled with professionals, highly educated individuals with vast experience in different areas. People who understand the importance of having the right representatives at all levels of government, so why are people disenchanted with the electoral system?