Local races in Northern Virginia received some statewide and national attention on October 26 as Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and presidential candidate Mitt Romney made local campaign appearances.

McDonnell kicked off the morning at a house party in Gainesville, hosted by Heritage Hunt resident Emily Bright.

There, he stumped for former Del. Dick Black (R), who is facing Iraq war veteran Shawn Mitchell (D) in the race for the 13th state Senate district.

McDonnell and Black

During his off-the-cuff speech, McDonnell politically aligned himself directly to the socially conservative firebrands Black and Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) from their joint tenure together in the state legislature.

"There was a time when it was Black, Marshall and McDonnell way over in the corner of the House of Delegates," said McDonnell. "'The amen corner.' They didn't want to see us but they sure heard us."

The governor explained the stakes of the November 8 election by saying to the GOP-friendly crowd, "We have the opportunity to do something that hasn't been done but once since the Civil War and that is to have a Republican governor and a Republican legislature."

McDonnell spent several minutes discussing federal issues, as did Black during his speech.

"Dick spelled it out very well. More taxes, more regulation, more litigation, more unionization and less opportunity: that's what we've seen the last three years with the message out of the White House," said McDonnell.

Black focused on energy production and harvesting natural resources during his time with the microphone while also chastising Democrats and the federal government.

He said the feds were attempting to "print our way out of a recession" and wanted to "displace the free enterprise system with one of command and control.

"We have the Democrats stopping us from developing our energy resources," said Black.

McDonnell mentioned that he's transferred $300,000 to Black's campaign so far and that in a low-turnout election where he expects 25 to 35 percent of voters to show up, the work of every individual can go a long way.

"You can make a big difference in getting people to the polls on November 8th. And the votes are going to count a lot more than they did in past elections when we had these larger turnouts. And you can really make a difference. So we're going to do everything we can to close this deal," said McDonnell.

Romney

Some time after 10:30 a.m. at the Fairfax Republican Committee headquarters, McDonnell praised the former Massachusetts governor for stopping by Northern Virginia as he campaigns for president.

"I'm delighted that Gov. Romney is here with us this morning because he believes the first salvo in next year's campaign starts right here in the commonwealth of Virginia with these elections in 13 days and seven hours. So we want to take back the Senate and do great things in the commonwealth of Virginia," said McDonnell.

He later added, "if we win here in Virginia, that's going to create a little bit of wind at the backs next year."

Romney nationalized the local races during his stump speech.

"I'm just here to do my very best to encourage the people of Fairfax County to send a message across this commonwealth and across the nation. And that is that we want our country back," he said. "We want to have those principles that made us a great country and a shining city on the hill in the past be preserved and once again make America the job-creating engine that it's been in the past."

Omission

Both Romney and McDonnell made technical flubs in their speeches by omitting the role of Prince William County in politics.

Speaking to phone bankers inside the GOP headquarters in Fairfax, Romney said, "This was I think the last place that Barack Obama campaigned in his campaign for president. Is that not right? Fairfax County. This is the last place he came."

He repeated that message outside, adding, "Well, now we're going to send our message from that last place he campaigned that we're taking back the White House, we're taking back the state House, well, the legislature here in Virginia, and making sure the people of this country understand that it's starting right here in Fairfax County."

Obama actually ended his 2008 presidential campaign the night before Election Day with a speech before an estimated crowd of 100,000 people at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas. The next day, Obama phone banked in Indiana.

Prior to joining Romney in Fairfax, McDonnell in Gainesville referred to Loudoun County three times in situations where Prince William appeared to be his target location.

He said in an interview afterward that he mentioned Loudoun because it makes up a majority of the 13th district and he assumed plenty of people in attendance were from Loudoun.

"It's really nice to be here at the Occupy Loudoun rally you're having here," McDonnell said at the beginning of his stump speech to laughs.

Later, he said, "So it's time for a change and you can make a change one person at a time starting with the election of Dick Black right here in Loudoun and Fairfax."

The 13th district does not include any Fairfax County precincts.

At the end of his speech, McDonnell said, "The other side hasn't given up. And we got to continue to close out the deal so we can have effective, conservative government that's results oriented in Richmond. Listen, it's a privilege to be governor. Please do everything you can to get Dick Black elected here in Loudoun. God bless you."

The others

At the Heritage Hunt event, candidate for Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland (R) served as the emcee for the event.

Other speakers included Keith Fimian, who is a former two-time congressional candidate, and Marshall, whose House of Delegates district in Gainesville overlaps part of the newly-drawn state Senate district.

Gainesville District Supervisor John Stirrup (R), who lost the August GOP primary to Black, also appeared though third-place finisher Bob FitzSimmonds, the deputy clerk of the circuit court, did not.

Also absent was Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R).

Stewart, a major Stirrup supporter who questioned Black's electability, said in a phone interview later that day that he was attending a ribbon-cutting event at 9 a.m. which prevented him from speaking in Gainesville.

FitzSimmonds, the deputy clerk of the circuit court for Prince William County, said during a brief phone interview October 28 that he was "just working" that morning and did not intentionally snub Black.

"It was not any indication of a lack of support," said FitzSimmonds, who endorsed Black after the GOP primary.