Roanoke Del. Ware says he will run for re-election to his General Assembly seat, probably not for statewide office
Onzlee Ware
During and immediately after this year’s race for Roanoke mayor and city council, I was asked many questions about state Del. Onzlee Ware.
Why didn’t he campaign on behalf of Democratic mayoral candidate David Bowers? Was he really going to run for statewide office in 2013? Or would he step down after a 10-year run in the House of Delegates?
I finally caught up with Ware today for a sprawling chat that covered all of those questions.
Let’s start with his plans for 2013. Last time we checked in, Ware told reporter Michael Sluss that he was using his campaign funds to travel around the state and test the waters for a possible run for attorney general or lieutenant governor.
Today, though, Ware said he’s not likely to take that step.
“Let me tell you what,” Ware said. “Statewide, unless you have someone to drop a boatload of money on you or you’re wealthy yourself, you’re not going to get out of the chute. Unless somebody came up with a lot of money that got behind me running a statewide campaign, it’s really just an exercise to get your name out there. I’m too old to just get my name out there.”
Ware is 58 and was unopposed in the 2011 elections. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, he’s got nearly $13,000 in his campaign fund. That’s not nearly enough to launch a statewide campaign.
But it’s enough to serve as the foundation for another re-election campaign for the House of Delegates in 2013. Ware had told Sluss that he’d serve five terms and re-evaluate whether he wanted to continue. (I had mentioned that in the live chat for the city elections, when I included a typo and wrote that he’d committed to a term limit. As I noted in the comments, I meant to write that Ware had not pledged to step down after five terms.)
Ware said, “I’ve said from day one that if the people chose me, five terms would be a good point for me to figure out if I enjoyed it, whether I’m any good at it and whether the people want me.”
He said there are lots of considerations at play, including his law practice, politics and even his health. In 2008 Ware was hospitalized for six days during the General Assembly session for pneumonia and dehydration.
But with all that, Ware said he’s going to run for re-election next year. He’s working to learn new parts of his district that were added during redistricting, including South Roanoke.
That begs the question: Will he have a challenger? That’s not a question Ware can answer just yet.
But it does play into the questions I received about why Ware didn’t show up at Bowers’ events. Ware said that during the primary he stayed on the sidelines because both Bowers and challenger Sam Rasoul were Democrats.
But how about the general election, when Bowers was running as a Democrat against a Republican challenger? Ware said that Bowers never came to him and asked him for help. Another factor: Bowers’ 2007 contribution to Mac McCadden, back when McCadden was running against Ware for his House seat. That was during a time when Roanoke Democrats had split into factions over the question of Victory Stadium.
Will Bowers run against Ware? Not likely, if you believe Bowers’ statements that he has no interest in any other office than mayor at this point. However, there are a few other city Democrats who may decide to take a run at Ware, given that he’s relatively untested in his new district and was a no-show in the city race.
Ware didn’t seem concerned either way, and he said that as a delegate you can’t win no matter what you do in local elections. If you try to get involved, they tell you to stay out, he said, but if you stay out they wonder why you didn’t show up.
– Mason Adams
May 30, 2012 - 4:14 PM
There has never been a more unqualified candidate for statewide office than Mr. Ware IMO. His election to the General Assembly ten years ago signaled the the beginning of the loss of effective representation for the Roanoke Valley. From the perspective of news coverage I can’t believe he has received such soft treatment from the media, especially the RTimes. He has been just as ineffective as Morgan Griffith was during his tenure in the GA. The only difference I see is that Ware is a Democrat and a minority and that apparantly has given him a pass not only on his legislative record, but his past. Griffith even heaped praise on Ware on a regular basis. That ought to tell you something.
Gofigure…gofigure. How has Ware been ineffective? Cause he votes to represent his district. That he was elected to a seat on the House Appropriations Committee. What are you looking for a sugar daddy to pave Roanoke streets with gold or build a new Victory Stadium? Roanoke City is struggling and will continue to struggle for many reasons. The counties around RC are growing and will continue to grow. RC is land locked and its population is aging and growing more in need of subsidies to survive. There is little compelling reason why industry needs to be in RC that it can’t get in the county or elsewhere.
We have Bowers in Roanoke, Ware in Richmond and Griffith in D.C……we are pitiful.
10 years is 8 years too long for anyone. Vote him out. No offense.
Victory Stadium, who cares? Industry in the City as opposed to Roanoke County, your point is? Let’s hope Mr. Ware has a higher opinion of his constituents and understanding of issues facing them than you just expressed. If you are representative of his supporters then thank you for strengthening my point. Yes, Mr. Ware is on the Apropriations Committee, he owes Republicans dearly for that. And don’t be surprised if he isn’t rewarded again for his allegiance to the Republicans. I’m very interested in hearing about successful initiatives brought about by Mr. Wares legislative prowess.
Ware will get a challenger and he will be beaten. Mark my words and take it to the bank. Onzlee Ware is done.
Gofigure..gofigure: I’ve been travelling so didn’t have time to respond but you don’t answer or address why Ware is unqualified for statewide office or why his election signaled “the beginning of the loss of effective representation.” Is it because he is not a Cranwell, Woodrum or Thomas? Thus my comment on Sugar Daddy approach to governing which was the Cranwell model. Bring home the $$ and don’t ask questions about how I vote in Richmond. Are you mad at Ware because he is not strong enough Democratic for you and he doesn’t play “kick Republicans in the teeth” approach to politics. He is working inside the system that exists. Sticking your finger in the eye of the majority party, no matter how comforting it may feel, doesn’t get results. Just ask Ward Armstrong! Demographics and a dramatic change in how Richmond operates has a lot to do with things. Western Virginia has continued to lose seats in the GA during each redistricting. Today in Richmond the purse strings are no longer controlled by three people no questions asked. Ware is an effective voice for Roanoke. But Western Virginia can only move forward when all of the House and Senate members, Democrat or Republican, work together on a common set of goals. The day of the Sugar Daddy is over.