Home Background Testimonials Student Programs Adult Programs Video Clips Recent Clients In The News On The Farm Contact Information	Lohr Elected to Virginia State Legislature As close as the race appeared in the final weeks, it wasn’t in the end. Republican Matt Lohr won by a comfortable margin Tuesday, keeping the 26th District seat in his party’s hands and giving them an important win in the conservative Valley. Lohr took almost 54 percent of the vote in the House of Delegates race against his Democratic challenger, Lowell Fulk. Lohr will succeed retiring Del. Glenn Weatherholtz, R-Harrisonburg, when he takes office in January. Of nearly 16,000 votes cast, Lohr received 8,545 to Fulk’s 7,346, according to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections. The district includes the city of Harrisonburg and northern Rockingham County. Fulk, making his second consecutive run for the 26th District, won the city portion of the district by more than 400 votes. But the county came through for Lohr forcefully enough to give him the overall vote. The story was much the same in 2003, when Fulk won the city but lost the county to Weatherholtz by a wide margin. Lohr, 34, of Broadway, celebrated on Tuesday night with friends and family at the Elks Lodge on South Main Street in Harrisonburg. "It’s very humbling and a big honor," Lohr said after addressing a crowd of more than 200 jubilant supporters. "I think I’m still in shock." For his first full day as a delegate-elect, Lohr said, he planned to relax and "just sit at home and hold my [2-month-old] son Carson all day long." Democrats Defeated The mood at Democratic headquarters at Calhoun’s restaurant off Court Square was decidedly less festive. Through eyes reddened by tears — more for his supporters than for himself, he said — Fulk said he was proud of his campaign team and the thousands of people who supported his candidacy. "I’m sorry for them — it’s disappointing," the 47-year-old farmer from Linville said. "I think we did everything we possibly could do. We spent a terrible amount of money and worked extremely hard. We just came up short." Fulk said he planned to call Lohr to concede the race and congratulate him. "I wish him well," he said. Lohr: Still Friends Back at the Elks Lodge, Lohr said he hoped he and Fulk could put the campaign behind them and remain friends. The two men, both farmers, served on the county school board together for three years. "Lowell and I were friends before this campaign, and I hope we can still be friends," Lohr said. "It was a very competitive race, but I never once questioned his integrity. Lowell is a good man." Tuesday’s election ended one of the most contentious contests ever for a central Valley House seat. It was also the most expensive, financial reports show, with the candidates taking in more than $500,000 combined. The race, neck-and-neck from the start, turned increasingly caustic in the homestretch as the candidates looked for any edge to break the deadlock. Fed by unprecedented amounts of cash, Fulk and Lohr blanketed the district in the last two months with mailers and ads attacking each other on everything from abortion to the state budget. Daily News Record, November 9, 2005