Updated: Governor Announces Special Election Will Be Sept. 4

Gov. Bob McDonnell has set Sept. 4 as the date for the special election to fill the seat of Del. David Englin, from the Virginia House of Delegates effective Aug. 31.

The special election will also fill the seat of the late Sen. Yvonne Miller (D-5th), who passed away July 3.

McDonnell said Englin "has served his district ably since 2006," adding that holding these elections Sept. 4 "will allow for the citizens of these districts to have full representation and give the new Senator and Delegate time to fully prepare for the 2013 legislative session."

Having the special election in September will allow for a subsequent special election if it's deemed necessary after the Senate election, McDonnell said.

Holding the special election in September is "a horrendous waste of tax payer dollars,” Alexandria Democratic Committee Chairman Dak Hardwick told Patch. "The governor is going to cost the city another $30,000 to $40,000 to have this election when it could have been part of the ballot on Nov. 6."

The governor will not issue the writ of election until July 30 in order to give political parties time to prepare for the nomination process. After the writ is issued, parties will have five days to nominate a candidate.

The 45th District Democratic and Republican parties will hold their own nominating process, which must be completed by Aug. 4, according to Anna Leider of the Alexandria .

Democrats  and  are running for the 45th District seat.

"We are surprised at the date," Gautney told Patch. "We had expected the special election to be held in November. We thought that made sense. ... I’m disappointed this is going to cost taxpayers more money. But we’ve been going full steam now for a few weeks reaching out and contacting voters."

"In politics, you always have to be prepared for surprises. We are prepared for anything,” Krupicka told Patch on Wednesday afternoon, adding that he was glad McDonnell finally made his decision but was “frustrated that the governor would choose a more expensive option…when there are a lot of other things in the state we should focus spending money on.”

Tom Fulton, chairman of the Alexandria Republican City Committee, said he did not know of any Republican candidates for the 45th District. He planned on getting together soon with his counterparts from Arlington and Fairfax counties to put together the nominating procedures should someone come forward.

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