Scott wins fourth term

Virginia’s rural District 30 remained Republican red in its selection for House of Delegates.

Incumbent Del. Ed Scott, a Madison County Republican, was solidly elected to a fourth term last night, receiving 74 percent of the vote in Culpeper County. Across the district, which includes Madison and Orange counties, Scott earned 76 percent of the vote.

Challenger Matt Carson of Rixeyville, a 34-year-old independent and first-time political candidate, got 25.6 percent of the vote in Culpeper and 24 percent overall.

Scott, 44, spent Election Day traveling the district and meeting voters in Orange, Madison and Culpeper counties before ending the day with some screen time in the Channel 21 studios in downtown Culpeper.

“I definitely want to share my thanks with all the voters that have allowed me to serve for another two years,” he said.

Scott said his first order of business for the new term would be to “immediately get my arms around the budget and budget decisions.”

A Republican has represented District 30 in the statehouse since 1999. A sampling of voters asked about the delegates’ race were too focused on the governor’s race to offer input on the Scott-Carson matchup.

Carson, though he reported raising only $2,375 to Scott’s $92,802, pulled out the big guns on Election Day.

Several times throughout the day, a red plane could be spotted flying over Culpeper, pulling a banner that read: “Think independent — vote Carson.”

“I had a great time,” he said Tuesday night of the election process. “I love it. I learned a lot.” Carson thanked Scott for running a “gentleman’s campaign” and the voters who supported him.

“I will be back,” Carson said of his political future.

Scott gets sworn in to his fourth term Jan. 13 in Richmond.