Democrats In 91st District Cancel Caucuses

By Amber Lester Kennedy Thursday, January 20, 2011

Democrats in the 91st House of Delegates District cancelled caucuses planned for today to select a candidate in the race to fill the seat of Del. Tom Gear.

No candidates stepped forward to run, according to Ross Mugler, Democratic chair for the 91st District and commissioner of the revenue for the city of Hampton. The caucuses were scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. in Hampton.

Democrats had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to announce their intention to run against Republican Gordon Helsel, who won the Republican firehouse primary by a landslide on Tuesday. Helsel is mayor of Poquoson and has served on the City Council for 27 years; he received 1,293 votes out of 1,794 cast.

An Independent candidate could still file with the Hampton registrar by 5 p.m. Friday. If no one files, Helsel will run unopposed.

The 91st District includes part of York County, Poquoson and the eastern Hampton, including Buckroe Beach and Fox Hill. The district is largely conservative, and the person who would take the Republican primary was widely expected to win the seat.

Gear announced plans to step down from his seat on Dec. 30, citing personal and family health problems. He served as delegate for the 91st district for 10 years. His departure left the 91st without representation in the General Assembly’s legislative session, which began Jan. 12.