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.

Va House Speaker Howell congratulates Terry Austin win in 19th House District

From Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell's office....

RICHMOND, VA -- Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) congratulated Terry Austin on his victory Tuesday night in the firehouse primary in the 19th House of Delegates District.

"Congratulations to Terry and his campaign on a hard fought victory last night," said Howell. "And congratulations to all of the other candidates for running spirited campaigns.

"Terry is a great candidate and will be a strong member of the House of Delegates.

"I know Terry will work hard to create a positive, pro-growth business environment and protect Virginia's conservative values. He is the right choice for the people of the 19th House District and I look forward to him joining the House Republican Caucus this November."

Botetourt Supervisor Terry Austin wins 19th House District Firehouse Primary

Botetourt Supervisor Terry Austin won Tuesday's Republican Firehouse Primary for the seat being vacated by Delegate Lacey Putney who is retiring.

The Roanoke Times reported on the count:

Austin won 787 votes in all. Bedford County businessman Jim McKelvey won 576 votes. Zach Martin, a Bedford County businessman who was running for office for the first time, won 356 votes, and Eagle Rock pastor Zachary Hatcher won 51.

With a campaign that hit the ground running and had the support of most Botetourt Constitutional elected officials and others, Austin -- who has been on the board of supervisors for 16 years -- ran a positive, results-driven campaign even in the face of negative tea party opposition and multiple opponents. While the tea party slammed him as a tax hiker, voters saw him as a local leader who had consistently looked out for what was best for the citizens he was representing.

Strong thunderstorms crossed the area throughout the 6-9:00 pm voting period but turnout was extremely heavy:

About 65 people were lined up waiting to vote when the polls opened at the Thaxton Community Center, one of the three polling places for tonight’s vote. By 7:30 p.m., 291 people had voted. A total of 281 people had voted at the center by the time polls closed.

Austin had someone else in mind for the delegate position when Putney announced his retirement but, when that candidate decided not to run and no one else could be found on such short notice, he stepped in to run and offer another choice for voters who have grown weary of polarizing, negative politics.  Austin is a businessman whose company installs airport landing lights.

When talking with the Roanoke Times, Austin was happy with his win:

"This is wonderful," Austin said, as he was congratulated outside Lord Botetourt High School among a small crowd of supporters. "I never expected this kind of turnout under these weather conditions and everything. It's just magnificent."

Austin attributed his win to more than a decade and a half on the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors and the "good friends" who supported his campaign.

"I've been on the board 16 years and, you know, tried to represent this county well," he said. "I think it's a reflection of that. I've got the trust and confidence of the people of Botetourt and I'm proud to say that."

Austin will run against the Democratic opponent in November.

UPDATE 5/8/13: Speaker of the House Bill Howell congratulates Terry Austin on his win.

John Cosgrove for Virginia Senate

"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." 

--Delegate John Cosgrove

John Cosgrove asks for your support in the Firehouse Primary this Thursday, May 9. For information about voting locations and anything else, check the John Cosgrove for Virginia Senate website.

About John Cosgrove:

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.

Cosgrove piles up endorsements in 14th District state senate race

Delegate John Cosgrove (R), who is running for the 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.

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.