LYNCHBURG, Va. – 11 p.m. update: Bethany Harrison was called as the winner of the Lynchburg Commonwealth Attorney race, set to serve her third term in office. Harrisons win comes after a long race filled with personal history, a past in a shared courtroom, and legal disputes.
“I feel great, I felt pretty confident going into the reelection based on some missteps made by my opponent as well as the positive response I’ve received going door to doors speaking to voters that were excited about reelecting me to the office,” Harrison says. She adds, “My office has done a lot of hard work over the past eight years holding violent offenders accountable, working with our victims of crime, working on our early intervention services for victims of intimate partner violence, as well as our rehabilitation programs, so I’m more than happy to continue doing that work for the city of Lynchburg.”
6 p.m. Update: Lynchburg voters are putting in their last-minute votes for the Commonwealth Attorney race. This race has drawn extra attention this year due to shared courtroom history and legal disputes, but candidates ensure that they are not letting their personal history affect their campaign.
Lynchburg voters head to the polls today to decide who will serve as the city’s Commonwealth Attorney. The race features incumbent Bethany Harrison, who is seeking her third term, against local defense attorney Chris White, making his first run for the office.
This election has drawn extra attention due to the candidates’ shared courtroom history and a legal dispute over how White’s name appears on the ballot.
Years ago, Harrison prosecuted White in a criminal case, but the jury found him not guilty. Right after, White sued Harrison’s office and the City of Lynchburg. Both candidates emphasize that their past legal encounters do not define their campaigns, despite the public focus on their history.
More recently, White argued that listing him as Christopher G. White could confuse voters who know him as Chris White. He filed a lawsuit seeking to pause voting, redo any ballots already cast, and more than $900,000 in damages. The Lynchburg Judge dismissed the motion mainly due to White naming the wrong defendant.
As Lynchburg residents cast their votes, the outcome will determine the city’s top prosecutor and shape the local justice system for years to come.