Senator-elect John Cosgrove wins 14th Senate District special election

John Cosgrove, the Republican delegate who served for 10 years in the Virginia House of Delegates, won Tuesday's special 14th Senate District election after the Democratic candidate dropped out in July, leaving him unopposed in the race. He will serve the remaining two years of retired Senator Harry Blevins' term.

Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell congratulated Cosgrove on his win:

"I want to congratulate John on his election to the Virginia Senate. For over a decade John has served the greater South Hampton Roads community and the Commonwealth of Virginia with dedication. John has been a valued member of the House of Delegates and a personal friend to many of us. We will miss his insight and expertise on the issues, and know he will be a tremendous addition to the Virginia Senate. On behalf of the entire House of Delegates, we wish him the very best in the years ahead."

In May Cosgrove won the Republican nomination in a three-way firehouse primary after his endorsement by Congressman Randy Forbes.  Other endorsements included the man he is replacing, Senator Harry Blevins, as well as Senator Tommy Norment, Senator Ryan McDougle, Delegate Chris Jones, Sheriff Jim O'Sullivan, Eric Wray, Commonwealth Attorney for Chesapeake Nancy Parr, Treasurer Barbara Carroway, and Mayor Alan Krasnoff as well as others.

John Cosgrove wins landslide victory in 14th Senate District firehouse primary - UPDATED

Delegate John Cosgrove has won the Republican Firehouse Primary for the 14th Senate District in the Hampton Roads area by defeating two opponents.

Final Total: Cosgrove-1,361; Stearns-552; Haley-116. Roughly 72%-28% win for Delegate Cosgrove. Congratulations!

Jim Hoeft has final results at his blog.

See also 14th Senate District is loss for Rand Paul and Ron Paul

UPDATE: Congratulations poured in from throughout the Commonwealth as word spread of John Cosgrove's win.

From Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling:
"Congratulations to my friend John Cosgrove who won the GOP nomination for the State Senate tonight in the 14th district. John is a good man who deserves our support. Well done John!"

From Randy Marcus, the LG's Chief of Staff:
"Congrats to John A. Cosgrove and his team for a great victory tonight! The Senate and his new district won big tonight. While Sen. Cosgrove has some big shoes to fill, the less numerous body is fortunate to have his leadership coming down the hall."

From Matt Wells:
"Proud to be a small part of a big win tonight. Congrats to John Cosgrove!!"

From Kate Maxwell:
"Congratulations to the next Senator from the 14th District, John Cosgrove!"

From Christie New Craig, Legislative Aide for John Cosgrove:
"My awesome boss John A Cosgrove at his VICTORY celebration."

Photo from Christie New Craig

TODAY: Vote John Cosgrove in 14th Senate District firehouse primary

Today, May 9, from 5-8:00 pm - vote John Cosgrove in Firehouse Primary in the 14th Senate District.

Phil Tran at Chesapeake Liasion recognized pragmatic leadership in his endorsement of John Cosgrove who is running for the state senate seat being vacated by a retiring Harry Blevins:

Throughout Cosgrove’s career, Cosgrove has been a champion for traditional values and for pragmatic solutions to make Chesapeake a great place for business and recreation. Unlike other politicians from both parties who think their ideology is what is best for the people, Cosgrove puts the needs of his constituents first.

Cosgrove knows where his people are and how to reach them because politics is not his day job when the part-time Virginia General Assembly is not in session. Therefore, he does not live in an echo chamber and more readily listens and understands the people. An engineer and musician by trade, Cosgrove is involved locally with his church, Rotary, the Ruritans, and has also served as a youth football and baseball coach.

Still, if conservative Republicanism is your thing, Cosgrove’s thoughtful, pragmatic approach to governance has led to 90%-100% ratings from the American Conservative Union, the Family Foundation, the Virginia Society for Human Life, the National Rifle Association, and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

Libertarians and liberty-minded Republicans should look past the rhetoric and look at the results. John Cosgrove might not be a Ron Paul acolyte, but he does share the same values and has worked to produce such results for the benefit of his community. He is also rock star. [photo of Cosgrove singing with a rock band]

"Pragmatic solutions ... pragmatic approach to governance." John Cosgrove has proven to have the kind of leadership recognized and appreciated by the Political Pineapple.

The fire house primary will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2013, from 5-8 pm. Check JohnCosgrove.org for poll locations.

From LynnRMitchell.com: 14th Senate District: Cosgrove piles up endorsements.

14th Senate District: Cosgrove piles up endorsements

Delegate John Cosgrove (R), who is running for Virginia's 14th Senate District seat being vacated by retiring state Senator Harry Blevins (R), has begun piling up the endorsements from many high-profile names including Congressman Randy Forbes.

Other endorsements include the man he is replacing, Senator Harry Blevins, as well as Senator Tommy Norment, Senator Ryan McDougle, Delegate Chris Jones, Sheriff Jim O'Sullivan, Eric Wray, Commonwealth Attorney for Chesapeake Nancy Parr, Treasurer Barbara Carroway, and Mayor Alan Krasnoff as well as others. The endorsements were announced Tuesday on his Facebook page and his John Cosgrove for Virginia Senate website.

The fire house primary will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2013, from 5-8 pm at Victory Baptist Church, 4125 Indian River Road, Va Beach, VA 23456.

In announcing his candidacy, Cosgrove noted:

Our nation, our state and our region is facing difficult times and lawmakers are facing increasingly difficult decisions that will touch the lives of Virginia residents everywhere. The most recent Legislative session was perhaps the toughest in my career as a state delegate. We had tough choices to make and in some cases, the decisions we made didn’t satisfy everyone.

Having said that, I have heard the message from the residents of the 78th District loud and clear-put partisanship aside and work with fellow lawmakers to help all Virginia residents.

With the announcement that Senator Harry Blevins is retiring from the Virginia Senate, I would like to announce my candidacy for the Virginia Senator representing the 14th District.

As your Delegate to the Virginia General Assembly, I have stood firmly on the side of creating jobs, improving our transportation infrastructure, improving the way in which our Commonwealth conducts business within the various state agencies as well as voting to hold the line on tax increases whenever and wherever possible.

It has been my honer and pleasure to serve you as your State Delegate in the 78th District and I ask for your support in my candidacy to become your next State Senator representing the 14th District.

John Cosgrove was endorsed by Phil Tran at Chesapeake Liaison. See related post at the Va Political Pineapple.