The Prince William County Republican Committee voted late last month to endorse challenger Alyson Satterwhite over three-term incumbent Don Richardson in the Gainesville District school board race.

However, Richardson is still running in the fall campaign. This would be different than if Richardson had lost a Republican primary, in which he would be forced to drop out of the general election.

When asked if he is continuing his re-election campaign, Richardson said, "Of course I am.

"Well, you know, the Republican endorsement is nice to have but it was determined by less than 60 people, so I don't really see that as being as really, how to put it, well, let's just say I'm going to wait for the judgment of the district because there's a whole lot more of them than the night the endorsement was made," he added.

Political parities do not nominate candidates for School Board. Instead, party activists generally vote in a straw poll so they can recommend a candidate to the general electorate.

That is because any candidate that qualifies to run for school board automatically appears on the ballot in the November election. There is no primary process.

Prince William Republican Committee chairman Lyle Beefelt said he would not release the vote total Satterwhite received at the August 29 endorsement meeting. During that same meeting, incumbent School Board member Gil Trenum also received the GOP nod of approval in Brentsville District, this time over challenger John O'Leary.

He would not confirm a post on an ideologically conservative blog stating Satterwhite won 42-14, instead saying the total number of participants in the vote was closer to 70 and that he wanted people to focus on the endorsement itself instead of the vote total given the relatively small number of participants.

Regardless of the margin of victory, there is significance to Satterwhite winning the endorsement. Her name will appear on Republican sample ballots handed out to voters at precincts and before the election, informing them which candidates for various offices the local party backs.

In Republican-leaning Gainesville District, which usually challenges Brentsville as the county's most conservative area, that's a big advantage for an upstart candidate like Satterwhite.

For a challenger to receive a party endorsement against a multi-term incumbent that previously has run unopposed for office, that implies committee members have an unfavorable view of the current office holder and not just a positive view of the newcomer.

"The only real issue I see in this race is Math Investigations. Nothing else has been said to me as an issue," said Richardson.

Richardson has also received criticism for clashing with parents speaking at School Board meetings, particularly during discussions regarding Investigations in Numbers, Data, and Space, which is commonly referred to as Math Investigations.

One of Satterwhite's biggest differences with Richardson is her opposition to the controversial that offers an alternative form of learning math than how it is traditionally taught in elementary school.

Satterwhite lists "Investigations Math" as her second issue on her campaign website. She said during a March interview that "we were doing a disservice with Math Investigations."

The challenger added that she would want the county to emphasize teaching methods that enhance a child’s recall ability.

Voters will have a chance to have their say at the ballot box on Tuesday, November 8. The Prince William Democratic Committee did not endorse a candidate in the Gainesville race.