Race for 38th Senate seat to be decided Tuesday

Tuesday is Election Day in Pulaski County and across the 38^th Senatorial District in Southwest Virginia.

Registered voters in the counties of Pulaski, Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell; the cities of Norton and Radford and portions of Montgomery, Smyth and Wise counties are eligible to vote.

At stake in this special election is a seat in the Virginia State Senate to fill the vacancy left by the death Jan. 1 of veteran legislator State Senator Ben Chaffin, a Republican.

Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, set the date for the special election. Some have charged he purposely set the date well after the conclusion of this year’s General Assembly session to leave Republicans short one seat in the legislature. Democrats hold a slight majority in the State Senate.

Two candidates are vying for the open seat.

The Republican in the race is Tazewell businessman and member of that county’s board of supervisors, Travis Hackworth.

The Democrat is Laurie Buchwald, a family/women’s health nurse practitioner from Radford.

Hackworth easily defeated five other Republicans in late January during a “firehouse primary” held to select the party’s nominee for Tuesday’s election.

Buchwald was the only Democratic candidate to seek her party’s nomination.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Polling places in Pulaski County have not changed since last November’s election. They are:

• Belspring (Belspring United Methodist Church)
• New River (Riverlawn Elementary)
• West Cloyd (NRV Fairgrounds)
• Draper (Draper Vol. Fire Dept.)
• South Pulaski (Central Gym)
• Newbern (Dublin Lions Club)
• Dublin (Dublin Lions Club)
• Hiwassee (Hiwassee Vol. Fire Dept.)
• Snowville (Snowville Elementary)
• Massie (Central Gym)
• Walker (NRV Fairgrounds)
• Robinson (Central Gym)

Voters are reminded to bring an ID to the polls.

By MIKE WILLIAMS, The Patriot