Big Day in Richmond yesterday.  Let's review ...

News Items #1:  The returns came back last night in the 41st House District special election which covers Burke Centre and Springfield.  (I have a three-precinct overlap in the Lake Braddock area).

Democrat Eileen Filler-Corn won handily by thirty-seven votes out of about 11,000 cast.  Gosh, makes you wonder why you waste time making phone calls and knocking on doors with that kind of margin?

Seriously, that is the second straight "photo finish" for that House seat (and third straight in the Burke area if you count the Marsden-Hunt Senate race in January).  Each winning margin has been within 1%.

Said it before and will say it again -- our area of central Fairfax is 50/50 territory right now for D's v. R's.  If you don't campaign for every last vote, you will lose.

News Item #2:  The bipartisan redistricting bill of Senator Deeds was killed yesterday by a House Subcommittee.  That was the LAST CHANCE to have a different approach than the ordinary "spoils system" for drawing legislative districts.

Having voted for and co-sponsored this reform legislation, it's a disappointment but not a surprise.  We need more competitive districts in order to get better results in Virginia.  While some areas are very competitive (see above), other areas are gerry-mandered so as to be 75% Democratic or 75% Republican.  That helps no one.

News Item #3:  Virginia Supreme Court Justice Barbara Keenan was elected 99-0 by the U.S. Senate to a seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Having supported her nomination, I am now proud to see this former Fairfax County prosecutor, private attorney and Circuit Court judge land one of the most prized seats in our profession.

She will do a great job.  Why did it take the U.S. Senate so long to confirm this obvious choice who was nominated by President Obama many months ago?  The rules of that body are baffling to me.

News Item #4:  Am I crazy -- or did I just see Erik Estrada in the halls of the Assembly Building?  I definitely saw Clifford the Dog yesterday in the Senate chamber.  Either we're getting late in the session or I'm going delusional.