Good news courtesy of the Coarse Cracked Corn blog:Erik Curren, Director of Marketing and Sales at the American Shakespeare Center, will challenge Chris Saxman for the 20th District House of Delegates seat...
The filing deadline is April 10 and it appears Curren will be the only candidate to have completed the paperwork and collected the signatures to be certified for the June 9 Democratic primary.
Curren is active in a number of community activities including Staunton Green 2020, a recently formed citizens group focusing on raising awareness about clean energy and economic development for the the Queen City. His campaign for delegate will probably focus on those issues, transportation, and preserving the quality of life in the Shenandoah Valley. He has expressed strong support for public education, a position that stands in sharp contrast to Saxman's.
This is a tough district, but it's great to see a strong advocate for the environment running against Saxman.
Does Curren have a chance in this race? Here's what the NewsLeader has to say:
Staunton Democratic Committee Chairman Bob Dickerman said Curren’s experience and advocacy of environmental policies will be an asset for him during the campaign. Dickerman said Curren will present a viable alternative to Saxman, whom Dickerman called a “disaster.”
Saxman last faced opposition for his seat in 2005 when he defeated Staunton City Councilman Bruce Elder by claiming more than 68 percent of the vote. However, Dickerman said momentum has shifted from the Republicans and cited Democratic gains locally during the 2008 election as a reason to be optimistic that seats once thought safe could now be in play.
“Saxman’s seat has been seen as safe for a long time,” he said. “But we’ve seen what happened, like with Virgil Goode (who lost to Democrat Tom Perriello in 2008), to seats that everyone thought were safe.”
In short, it will be a challenge but it's not impossible. Let's hope that Curren, at the minimum, gives Saxman a run for his money.
