KYLE GREEN The Roanoke Times

Four Republican primary candidates — (from left) Josh Johnson, Chris Head, Mike Wray and Bill Cleaveland — join Del. William Fralin (right) at a victory party Tuesday evening at the Hotel Roanoke. The top vote-getter, Cleaveland, was endorsed by his opponents and by two GOP lawmakers.

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Botetourt County lawyer Bill Cleaveland will run as the Republican nominee against Democrat Gwen Mason for an open seat in the House of Delegates.

Cleaveland defeated four other candidates Tuesday in a crowded and competitive GOP primary to replace Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, who announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. Fralin had served in the House of Delegates since 2004.

"I can commit to the fact that I will not rest, and I will not relent, and I won't give up until this seat is reaffirmed as a Republican seat, number one," Cleaveland told supporters during a celebration in the Hotel Roanoke's Shenandoah Room on Tuesday. "And number two, that I can only hope to aspire to the bar that William Fralin has set for the delegate in this 17th District."

After Cleaveland was announced as the winner, he was subsequently endorsed by Fralin, House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, state Sen. Ralph Smith and the four men who ran against Cleaveland for the nomination.

Said Fralin: "They all fought hard. It was a clean fight. Everybody came together at the end. I think Bill's going to be a terrific candidate."

The other four GOP primary candidates, in order of finish, were Chris Head, a Botetourt County resident who owns Home Instead Senior Care; Mike Wray, a former Roanoke County supervisor; Josh Johnson, a Roanoke lawyer with the firm Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore; and Melvin Williams, a Roanoke lawyer with the firm Grimes and Williams.

Reached by phone Tuesday night, Mason offered congratulations and promised a vigorous general election campaign.

"I congratulate Bill Cleaveland and his wife Deborah," said Mason, a Roanoke City Council member. "I look forward to a positive, spirited discussion of the issues and giving the voters of the 17th District a clear view of two candidates with distinct visions for Southwest Virginia. No candidate is going to outwork me."

Cleaveland said he thinks he won the primary election based largely on his 30 years of experience working with the law as a prosecutor, defense attorney and substitute judge.

The district includes part of Roanoke, part of Roanoke County and a smaller portion of Botetourt County. Cleaveland finished first in Roanoke city, where he operated his law firm for many years, and he finished first in Botetourt County, where he operates his firm now. He finished third in Roanoke County.

As a show of unity, all five Republican primary candidates agreed to hold a single victory party together, and after Cleaveland's win they raised clasped hands.

Griffith said the quality of the five showed depth within the Republican Party: "We had five of the finest candidates that I have ever seen run for public office in this primary."

The general election campaign will be an intriguing political battle. State House Democrats need six seats to take majority control of the chamber before the 2010 census and redistricting, and Fralin's seat is one of the few that will be open this fall.

As one of the few open seats in Western Virginia, the contest is likely to draw attention from both state parties. The 17th District voted heavily for Republican presidential candidate John McCain last year, but the 2005 governor's race was much closer, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner won the district outright in 2001.

Cleaveland said he thinks that over the next few weeks, distinct differences will begin to emerge between Mason and him.

"I can tell you that from an ideological standpoint, I'm conservative from top to bottom, socially and fiscally," Cleaveland said. "I think my opponent and I have got some differences with regard to those issues, and I look forward to getting into those as we get farther in the campaign."

Mason said she's heard three big issues from going door-to-door so far: economic growth and development, educational opportunities and maintaining quality of life within the Roanoke Valley.

"I think people are looking for solid leaders who will give them a solid voice in Richmond," Mason said.

Mason heads into the general election with a campaign fundraising lead. She had $53,000 cash in hand as of the last state campaign finance reporting period. She's received substantial donations of $2,000 or more from several individuals in the Roanoke Valley, as well as from the Farm Team political action committee.

The Farm Team was formed by former Attorney General Mary Sue Terry to help recruit female Democrats. Terry will appear at a Farm Team event at Hunting Hills Country Club today.

Republicans, however, immediately began work making up the money gap for Cleaveland.

Just after his endorsement, Fralin wrote Cleaveland a $20,000 check.