President Barack Obama called Gov-elect Bob McDonnell late this morning —  reportedly a pleasant, 10 minute conversation.

Republicans tonight were well on their way to retaining—and perhaps increasing—their control of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Republican Sen. Ken Cuccinelli was elected attorney general tonight over Democratic Del. Stephen C. Shannon in a battle between two lawmakers from Fairfax County, according to unofficial returns.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling easily won a second term as lieutenant governor tonight, defeating Democrat Jody Wagner, a former state treasurer, according to unofficial returns.

The three top Republicans garnered roughly 60 percent of the vote to their opponents’ 40 percent.

A poll released Sunday showed 53 percent supported McDonnell, 41 percent supported Deeds and 6 percent were undecided.

Things are looking up for the Republicans’ down-ticket candidates, according to the latest poll done for The Daily Progress and other newspapers.

The part-time job pays $36,321 a year and has only two constitutionally mandated duties.

A candidate for the Fifth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives announced Thursday he is removing himself from the Republican ticket to restructure his campaign as an independent.

Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates hit the road in search of votes today, each with a different spin on public opinion polls that show the Republicans ahead. The GOP’s Bob McDonnell warned against overconfidence while Democrat Creigh Deeds said he can prevail despite the gloomy forecast.

Having previously distanced himself from the president as a potential liability, R. Creigh Deeds now is embracing Barack Obama in what may be the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s last chance to shift momentum.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell said last night that Virginia should not participate in a federal health-care program that contains a “public option.“

A Republican lawyer asked the State Board of Elections on Monday to fine Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds over contributions from unions.

The candidates for lieutenant governor hurled insults at each other last night in their first and only debate.

Last November, Bernard Peyton, a retired warehouse worker, was excited to cast his ballot in the presidential election.

Voters will decide Nov. 3 who fills the $36,000-a-year, part-time job that is often a first step to running for governor.

“I think it would be illegal to carry it forward” if he is elected governor, McDonnell said in an interview Tuesday with The News & Advance’s editorial board.

Democrat R. Creigh Deeds last night blasted Republican gubernatorial rival Bob McDonnell as a “smooth talker” who runs from his conservative roots, while McDonnell tied Deeds to the disputed policies of President Barack Obama.

Nearly half of Virginia voters oppose President Barack Obama’s health care initiative, according to a Daily Progress poll, which also shows his popularity here fading.

The Associated Press

The Democratic National Committee today will give an additional $1 million to R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor.

First-time voters have less than one week to register to cast ballots in Virginia’s Nov. 3 general election. The deadline to register or to update a voter registration is Oct. 5. The state Board of Elections said yesterday that calls about registering and other election-related questions are increasing as the deadline approaches.

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said yesterday that he has not yet received a petition seeking clemency for convicted Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad and has seen no evidence that would suggest he should receive a stay of execution. “I know of nothing in this case now that would suggest that there is any credible claim of innocence or that there was anything procedurally wrong with the prosecution,“ said Kaine, speaking on his monthly call-in radio program on WTOP in Washington.

With another poll showing the race for governor tightening, Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell are dueling over endorsements and high-dollar plans to fix roads and the mental-health system. Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C., puts Deeds within 5 percentage points of McDonnell, 43 percent to 48 percent. Deeds trailed by 7 percentage points in September and 14 two months ago.

Thomas P. Harwood, a top Virginia regulator during an era of upheaval for the state’s electric-power industry and its customers, died Sunday. He was 80. Mr. Harwood was a member of the State Corporation Commission from 1973 until his retirement in 1992. The period was marked by frequent battles between consumers and the businesses that the commission regulates—utilities, telecommunications and insurance, among them.

State-tax delinquents can pay up without a fine from Oct. 7 to Dec. 5, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced yesterday. In the two-month period, they will not be penalized and will be charged half the interest rate. If delinquent taxpayers do not pay by Dec. 5, they will be charged full interest and an additional 20 percent penalty. The Virginia Department of Taxation is sending 550,000 notices to businesses and individuals. The average delinquent tax bill is $2,315, said Joel Davidson, a spokesman for the tax department.

The men at the top of the Republican ticket continued to hammer a theme of controlled spending and budget reform yesterday. Gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell, who is a former state attorney general, and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling said they want to increase the amount of money the state can stash in its “rainy-day” fund. They also want to institute performance audits of major agencies and change the cycle of the state’s two-year budget.

Iran’s missile tests demonstrate the importance of U.N. inspections and of muscular diplomacy by additional world powers, according to Virginia’s U.S. senators. “Iran’s latest missile test is part of a pattern of provocative behavior that underscores the need for Tehran to open up its newly discovered nuclear fuel sites to international inspectors,“ Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said in a statement.

Republican attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli picked up the endorsement today of 77 mostly Republican law enforcement officials, including sheriff’s and commonwealth’s attorneys.