Another NoVa Resident, Pete Synder, Considering a Bid for Lt. Governor

I worked on a statewide campaign back in 2009 and constantly heard from voters in Southwest Virginia who suggested the Democrats should have a gubernatorial candidate from outside of Northern Virginia. As the 2013 field for statewide candidates on both sides is beginning to take shape, it looks like we might be hearing similar comments about the Republican field for Lt. Governor. That’s because Politico is reporting businessman Pete Snyder’s leaving the social media consulting firm he founded and considering entering the race for LG.

Snyder would be entering a field that’s also likely to include Keith Fimian (a business man who lost back to back races to Gerry Connolly) and Corey Stewart (Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors). With these three in the race, Snyder’s the candidate who has the best opportunity to spend time outside of NoVA in the next year or so because he was Bob McDonnell’s pick to head a statewide Republican fundraising committee. Keith Fimian, however, is also trying to increase his influence as he started a PAC called the Growth, Opportunity, and Prosperity Fund that shelled out about $100,000 in state and local elections this year.

With all that being said, I doubt the GOP’s base of supporters in downstate Virginia will think kindly of all the LG candidates being from NoVA. Democrats didn’t like it when 2 of 3 gubernatorial candidates were from NoVA, and that’s where the Democratic base is in this state. That’s why I think a lot of Republicans will be looking for state Sen. Jeff McWaters to enter the race.

McWaters is from the Virginia Beach area and has a lot of personal wealth he could use in the race. Plus, he also handily won a special election (79 percent - 21 percent) in back in 2010 against Bill Flemming to replace Ken Stolle (who had been elected Sheriff). Then, despite promises from DPVA Chair Brian Moran to recruit candidates in every district, he didn’t even draw an opponent in this year’s race – something that actually appears to be quite common for GOP candidates in the 8th Senate District.