Libertarian Corey Fauconier to run in special election for Virginia state Senate seat

McClellan won't face GOP opposition in special election for state Senate seat.

Democratic Del. Jennifer L. McClellan won’t face Republican opposition as she seeks to move up to the Virginia Senate, but at least one other candidate has filed paperwork to get on the ballot for the open seat.

Libertarian activist Corey Fauconier filed paperwork with the Virginia Department of Elections by Monday’s 5 p.m. filing deadline, according to state officials. The filing is under review to ensure Fauconier met all requirements for ballot access, including the submission of 250 petition signatures from voters in the district.

Republican Matt Walton, who unsuccessfully ran for a House seat in early 2015, had hinted he may run in the heavily Democratic district but did not file candidacy paperwork with the state, according to officials.

Strip club owner Michael Dickinson, a perennial candidate for elected office who has never drawn significant support, had indicated he would run as an independent. In an email Tuesday, Dickinson said he will not run because he was unable to file the necessary petition signatures because he was sick over the weekend. He said he plans to run for other offices in 2017 and 2018.

Fauconier filed 42 pages of petition signatures with the Henrico County registrar’s office. Henrico officials had not yet counted how many total signatures he submitted, but said their review should be finished around midday today. If Fauconier fails to meet the legal requirements, McClellan would be the only candidate on the ballot.

Fauconier managed the 2015 Senate campaign of Libertarian Carl Loser, running for the 10th District seat now held by Sen. Glen H. Sturtevant Jr., R-Richmond. A New York native and hip-hop enthusiast who has gone by the stage name “Sage,” Fauconier drew attention last year for a Libertarian rap video that promoted Loser’s campaign.

The Senate district covers much of central Richmond, extending east through Henrico to include all of Charles City County and stretching north to Hanover County and Ashland.