Woodbridge, Va. –– Tito Munoz on this late summer, almost autumnal morning, greeted the few early voters at Belmont Elementary School.
That’s where Munoz, a Republican, voted in today’s Primary Election Day for who he says is the best candidate to represent the 36th District in the Virginia Senate – himself.
He faces Republican challenger and former Virginia Party Chairman Jeff Frederick who also wants to represent the district, which spans from Mount Vernon to Stafford County.
“National issues are local issues. Energy independence is a national issue that affects us locally. If we cannot drill because the federal government does not allow us to, that means we have no revenue for our state,” said Munoz.
Munoz, who owns a construction firm in Woodbridge and builds roads by trade, has during most of his campaign has focused on national issues – such as federal healthcare reform instituted by President Obama, international trade, and the distribution of federal highway dollars to fix area roads.
The polls opened this morning at 6 a.m., and within the first 45 minutes only three voters trickled into Belmont Elementary School, in Woodbridge’s Belmont Bay neighborhood. With rhetoric in Washington and low approval ratings for both the president and congress, local voters say changes can be made at the state level to right the national political perspective.
“We need more fiscal control, better ways we’re running the State of Virginia as it relates to both budgetary issues, our priorities in the state – Northern Virginia versus the rest of Virginia – the inequities as I see them as we apply funds for particular programs, projects, schools and highways…there’s a lot of things we can be doing better in Richmond,” said Woodbridge resident Rick Sorrenti.
Frederick is also on the campaign trail today, and has offered voters rides to polls for those who go to his website and contact his campaign.
Munoz will hold an election results party tonight at Polo Grill in Lorton, while Frederick plans to watch the voting results come in at his campaign office in Dumfries.
The polls will close at 7 p.m. Click here to find out where you can go to vote.
