Tomorrow, Virginians will go to the polls to elect all 140 members of the oldest legislative body in the western world, as well as numerous local officials. Before you cast your vote, however, I think it would be wise for voters to stop and think about the choice that lies before them.

There is no doubt that many Americans, myself included, are frustrated with the current level of leadership, on both sides of the aisle, in our Nation's Capital. However, tomorrow's elections simply are not about the President or Congress. These elections are about the Commonwealth of Virginia and our various localities. The candidates who are up for election should be assessed and judged upon their OWN records and ideas for the future. They should not be affirmed or dismissed based solely upon what goes on inside the beltway.

This is not to say that federal issues have no significance. Immigration is certainly a great example of an issue that has both federal and state implications. However, the candidates who are running Virginia's legislative elections ought to be judged upon their own immigration proposals. In other words, it is important for voters to look beyond the party labels, while understanding their importance as a shorthand for a general philosophy, and examine which candidates best represent their respective views of government.

From my perspective, there are some competent and hard-working legislators who have done a tremendous job representing the people of their districts but who are in danger of losing their seats as a result of voter frustration with their national Party or the President. Legislators like Jay O'Brien, Ken Cuccinelli and Nick Rerras have compiled solid records of service to their communities in their years in the General Assembly. I submit that the General Assembly and the State Senate would be greatly deprived to lose the contributions of these valuable public servants.

Further, I think it necessary to point out the differences between the legislature that we have now and the legislature we would have if the Democrats were to gain control of the upper chamber. Virginia voters must know that if they choose to put Democrats in power out of mere frustration, it will not be a gentle transition. Rather, the Democratic leadership in the State Senate would mark a sharp march to the left for our Commonwealth. In a Commonwealth that has always had a strong pro-business, pro-economic growth environment, we would see Yvonne Miller, who owns a 0% pro-business rating, as Chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee. In a Commonwealth that has always placed an emphasis on public safety and the rule of law, we would see Henry Marsh, who has opposed every major public safety reform in recent years, as Chair of the Courts and Justice Committee. And in a Commonwealth that has always valued its agricultural heritage and worked to encourage that vital segment of our economy, we would see Patsy Ticer of that huge farming community, the City of Alexandria, as Chair of the Agriculture Committee.

These are but a few examples of the marked departure from our traditional Virginia values that would be exemplified by giving control of the State Senate to the Democrats. Of course, you can add to these the efforts of our Governor to transform Virginia into a sanctuary state for illegal aliens and compound his mismanagement of the budget with a raft of new expensive spending proposals, and we have ourselves a very troubling outlook for our Commonwealth.

This said, I again urge the voters of Virginia to take a good look look at the candidates on the ballot tomorrow. Look at their records and ask yourself what they have proposed to do for the next 2-4 years. While many of us are frustrated with the recent political state of affairs in our Commonwealth and nation, we must ask whether the change we seek is change for a positive purpose, or merely change for change's sake. I, for one, have yet to hear any positive purpose articulated from the Governor or his party. That is one reason why, despite my frustrations, I am confident that it is, by and large, the Republican candidates on the ballot who will do the greatest good for our Commonwealth in the next legislative cycle.

While others may or may not come to the same conclusions, I hope that all who vote tomorrow will do so with a full understanding of the choice that they make, and the consequences of that choice.