After a contentious special session of the General Assembly produced new maps for the General Assembly, it appears likely that the northern most part of Prince William County will feature one of the most contentious GOP primaries for state Senate in Virginia.

The U.S. Department of Justice still has to approve of the House of Delegates and state Senate maps due to stipulations in the 1965 Civil Rights Act regarding the commonwealth and other states that ensure minority communities are fairly represented.

If the current map is approved, what this means for western Prince William County is that deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court Bob FitzSimmonds (R) and Gainesville District Supervisor John Stirrup (R) may face off each other in a GOP primary against another staunch conservative in former Del. Dick Black (R) of Loudoun County.

The candidacy of the Bristow resident FitzSimmonds is not surprising given that the three-time candidate for the 29th district previously declared his intention to run for a state Senate seat in western Prince William County regardless of the district lines.

In fact, FitzSimmonds had even said he was willing to move his primary residence if he had to in order to have another crack at the Senate. That is the same case as Black, who is considering moving into one of the Loudoun precincts of the district so he can run, according to his friend FitzSimmonds. The two have endorsed each other's past campaigns.

According to numbers provided by Prince William County Democratic Committee chairman Bruce Roemmelt, the 13th district is made up of 74 percent Loudoun County precincts and 26 percent Prince William precincts. He added that he did not know any declared Democrats for the GOP-leaning seat yet.

FitzSimmonds, who is officially running, and Black, who is not yet running but likely to run, are both known as sharing extremely conservative social views while also being anti-tax stalwarts. FitzSimmonds said their views on residential growth is one of the issues that would separate them in a primary election along with their approach toward governing.

"We are natural allies," said FitzSimmonds. "Politics is not personal for me."

However, he later added, "I've worked 10 years for this."

In actuality, the number of years is at least 12. He first challenged state Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-29th) in 1999, only to lose in the general election. He lost a primary challenge to former Clerk of the Circuit Court Dave Mabie (R) in 2003, who lost to Colgan. FitzSimmonds ran unopposed for the GOP nod in 2007, only to lose again to Colgan.

That same unsuccessful string of runs is what is, in part, prompting Stirrup to consider a run against someone he said he's supported in the past.

The supervisor confirmed during a Monday phone interview that he is weighing whether to enter the race and spoke as if he was all-but-certain to join. The Northern Virginia political blog "Too Conservative" first mentioned Stirrup's potential candidacy in an April 29 online diary.

"Well, it's a great question. I've got to tell you, the short answer is I'm very much in the process of making that decision," said Stirrup when asked if he will run for the seat. "I've heard from a lot of people that have reached out to me and asked me about running in that open state Senate seat in district 13."

Stirrup said the prospect of running for an open Senate seat is a "very exciting opportunity" and "it's something I'm very seriously considering" given his track record on a "number of issues."

He added that his family already supports him and there are only a few political leaders left "that I need to dot the 'i' and cross the 't' with" before confirming his candidacy. He said he would do that by June.

The issue Stirrup first mentioned that he would campaign on is illegal immigration, which has come to define his two terms on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. He authored the county's controversial 2007 law designed to crack down on illegal immigrants by denying them county services and having police check their status during traffic stops and other offenses if there was probable cause that they were in the country illegally.

After much controversy, the law eventually settled on the idea that everyone who is arrested in the county is subject to checks on their immigration status, regardless of probable cause.

A primary featuring FitzSimmonds, Black and Stirrup would inevitably include a race to determine which candidate is the most conservative on each issues and what issues they focus primarily on in the state Senate. When it comes to political beliefs, Stirrup said he fits in with FitzSimmonds and Black.

"I'm not sure there's any ideological difference between myself and Bob or Dick Black for that matter," said Stirrup.

He said the key differences would be "how we work public policy" and "electability."

Unlike FitzSimmonds and Black, Stirrup has never lost a race. He ousted an incumbent supervisor in a 2003 race featuring three candidates and claimed re-election in 2007 by an overwhelming margin.

However, as FitzSimmonds noted, the 13th district lines are favorable toward a conservative Republican at the local level, which is in fact correct. The GOP nominee would start a campaign as a the favorite in the general election given the district's demographics and electoral history.

Stirrup said two of the Senate legislators he respects the most are Harrisonburg Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-26th), who is often considered the most conservative member of the state Senate, and, oddly enough, Colgan, for the latter's ability to reach compromises without an abrasive leadership style.

"I wouldn't compromise on principle," Stirrup said, "but you may have to compromise on strategy."

He added a quote that he said a friend of his on a city council once told him.

"You eat the sandwich one bite at the time," said Stirrup. "You may not get everything you want legislatively (at first) but over time, you'll be successful if you'll stay with that issue over sessions."

The cut-off date for candidates to file for office is June 15. Primary day is set for August 23 and the general election is November 8.