Candidates coming to TV screens in Northern Va.

Republicans are seeking to hold on to three state Senate seats, while Democrats’ plans for retaking the majority in that chamber include ousting at least two of those incumbents.

The advertisements will not be cheap. Several political sources estimated a campaign could spend well over $100,000 to keep commercials running between now and the Nov. 6 election, with exact amounts differing based on the frequency of the ads and which channels the commercials appear on.

Sen. Jay O’Brien, R-Clifton, recently began airing a commercial on cable television for the first time. He didn’t need television advertising in his successful runs for the House of Delegates or his first Senate campaign in 2003, he said, but the atmosphere is different this time.

The spot reminds voters O’Brien will be “tough” on immigration and has already voted to deny driver’s licenses and in-state tuition to illegal aliens.

“Everything about this race is much more intense,” O’Brien said. “I am trying to make sure that by the day before the election, anyone who thinks immigration is important knows where I stand.”

Democrat George Barker, O’Brien’s opponent in the 39th District, has a commercial scheduled to run within a week, his campaign manager said.

Republican incumbent Ken Cuccinelli said he didn’t advertise on television in the 37th District until “the very end” of his previous Senate races. This year, he has already begun airing an ad attacking his opponent, Janet Oleszek, for supporting higher taxes while on the Fairfax County school board.

Oleszek, a Democrat, is already running her second television spot of the campaign. The first was a biographical piece. The second, which came out last week, calls Cuccinelli’s allegations “just nutty.”

Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Vienna, and Democrat Chap Petersen, who are competing in the 34th District, have not begun airing ads.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com