Virginia Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, has been using his political muscle to prevent Democratic candidates from entering the race for a new Senate seat being created in Northern Virginia, sources familiar with the race said.
Saslaw is clearing the way for his own hand-picked Democratic candidate, Arlington County Board Member Barbara Favola, to run for the 31st District seat, which would stretch from Arlington to Loudoun County under a proposed redistricting map drawn under Saslaw's supervision, Democrats said.
"I don't think it's appropriate for someone with the degree of power and influence he has to come into an open seat race in a heavily Democratic district and designate anybody as the only person who's entitled to get the nomination for that seat," said Peter Rousselot, former chairman of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
The winner of the new seat would replace retiring Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple.
Saslaw has worked behind the scenes to build support for Favola while strong-arming other Democrats who have considered running against her, sources said. State Del. Patrick Hope, a freshman lawmaker from Arlington and a rising star in the General Assembly, was told he would find it difficult to raise money if he ran, officials familiar with his plans said.
"It's OK for elected officials to recruit candidates and express a preference by endorsing primary candidates," said Del. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, who confirmed that Hope was encouraged not to run. "But I've always thought the nomination of candidates is the role of the Democratic Party, not the elected officials."
Hope confirmed he was contacted by Saslaw, but said Saslaw didn't threaten him.
Saslaw did not respond to requests for comment.
Gov. Bob McDonnell vetoed that map that includes the 31st Senate District, but the General Assembly returns to Richmond Monday to renegotiate the plan.
Whipple said she thought Saslaw was more concerned with Hope's chances of winning a primary election against Favola, who she described as the strongest candidate given her years on the county board.
"That's not what I've heard and that's not my impression," Whipple said. "All I know is that his belief was Hope would have a very hard time winning a primary."
Ben Tribbett, a longtime Democratic activist, encouraged Hope to run and is now considering entering the race himself. But when Tribbett started talking about running, he said, his business clients started receiving calls from people he described only as Senate leadership.
"It's fair to say that the tactic the Senate leadership is using to keep me from running is to shut down my business so I don't have the personal income to run," Tribbett said.
Despite the behind-the-scenes anxiety, at least one Democrat, Army Lt. Col. Jaime Areizaga-Soto, a former volunteer for Whipple, plans to announce his candidacy in May.
"If someone wants to serve, they should run," Surovell said in an email. "We have a lot of young talent in our party and primaries help to hone candidates' skills and weed out the weaker campaigners."
