Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates selected a new minority leader Saturday, the last day of the 2007 General Assembly's winter session, to prepare the party for this year's upcoming election season.
Former House Minority Leader Franklin P. Hall, D-Richmond, was succeeded by Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Martinsville.
Armstrong, who has been a member of the House for 16 years, said he was humbled by the decision of the 40-person Democratic caucus to elect him.
"One of things that I have tried to do over the past two years is lead the debate on the floor of the house," Armstrong said.
Improving the strength of the Democratic Party through debate is very important, Armstrong said, noting that his skills on the House floor aided the development of the Democratic Party's power.
"Back when the redistricting occurred in 2001, many of the delegates were no longer members of the House, which meant that middle seniority and younger members needed to step up," Armstrong said.
Armstrong added that he also hopes to improve the structure of the Democratic caucus to obtain more seats for the party.
"One of the aspects that we are looking to improve is to begin to utilize our younger members and develop a new policy committee," Armstrong said.
University Politics Prof. Larry Sabato said the Democratic Party was looking for somebody who would have both the time and energy needed for General Assembly election season.
"They wanted a more aggressive leadership style," Sabato said.
Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, also said the upcoming November elections played an important role in the caucus' selection of Armstrong.
"We are trying to put different people in different positions to make the maximum use of each member's skills," Toscano said, adding that Armstrong "has many skills in terms of leadership on the floor and House strategy."
Toscano said Hall, on the other hand, has extensive fundraising capacities.
"It's all about putting the best team on the field," Toscano said.
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