The path for Democrats to recapture the state House of Delegates hit a major hurdle last week as no one filed to take on a potentially vulnerable incumbent: Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-31st).

Lingamfelter, a conservative stalwart on fiscal and social issues whose district includes parts of western Prince William County and eastern Fauquier County, occupies a seat that includes some of the most left-leaning precincts in Prince William, including the Neabsco magisterial district.

"Personally, I was disappointed by that," said Prince William County Democratic Committee chairman Peter Frisbie. Committee members have been "talking with folks probably four or five months" about taking on Lingamfelter, Frisbie said, but "other commitments" held back possible challengers.

"Folks think he's very beatable, he said. But "[we] just didn't have anyone because of other obligations."

"Well, first of all, I would tell you that one of the reasons that I've been successful up to this point with re-election efforts is because I have a very solid constituent support program in my district," said Lingamfelter.

He later added, "The 31st district seat is not my seat. The 31st district seat belongs to the people of the 31st district."

Even if Lingamfelter is to the right of his district, the four-term incumbent and Gulf War veteran has put in the face-time with constituents over the years to win what he called "a lot of crossover support for Scott Lingamfelter."

But an independent candidate can still file to run against Lingamfelter and the PWCDC could simply nominate a candidate before June 9. Given those circumstances and what Lingamfelter described as a need to find out what's on the minds of his constituents, he said, "Whether I have an opponent or not, I will continue to go door to door in my district."

The lack of a Democratic challenger to take on Lingamfelter means state Democrats will have to take another route in order to flip the Republican seats needed to regain control of the House of Delegates. Republicans hold a 54-44-2 majority and both independents caucus with the Republicans.

The big prize for whatever party controls the House comes when the legislature redraws the district lines for elected officials after the 2010 census. Democrats already control the state senate, whose members are not up for re-election until 2011.

Frisbie claims there is a good chance for Team Blue to reach 51 seats even without a challenger in the 31st. The retirement of Del. Jeff Frederick (R-52nd) opens up an otherwise Democratic-friendly seat in southern Prince William and Democrats are targeting two Republican-held seats in Fairfax County and one in Southside.

However, that would still lead to only a net pickup of four seats, assuming no Democratic incumbents lost re-election bids of their own. Frisbie is quite optimistic in Prince William otherwise though, claiming, "We'll pick up either both the 13th and the 50th or at least one of them in addition to the 52nd."

That would require knocking-off 17-year incumbent Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) in western Prince William and Del. Jackson Miller (R-50th) in Manassas, both of whom defeated their opponents by double digits in 2007.