KYLE GREEN The Roanoke Times

Bill Cleaveland (left), winner of the House's 17th District seat, raises his hand with Morgan Griffith, who kept the 8th District, during a victory celebration for Republicans on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn-Hotel Tanglewood.

ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

Gwen Mason stands with her family — husband Bill and children Grace and Will — as she concedes to her opponent Tuesday in Roanoke. Mason said she has no regrets about her campaign and will now focus on her role on the Roanoke City Council.

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Republican Bill Cleaveland defeated Democrat Gwen Mason by a hefty margin Tuesday to win election to an open seat in the House of Delegates.

Cleaveland will replace Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, who announced his intention to step down earlier this year.

During an emotional speech to a crowd at the Holiday Inn-Hotel Tanglewood in Roanoke County, Cleaveland said that Fralin "set the bar high, and that's the place that I want to start, not just the place I want to aspire to. As a legislator he was open, he made people feel he was interested in them and their problems, and that's exactly what I'm going to do for the citizens of the 17th District."

Cleaveland campaigned conservatively, both in philosophy and in style. He formulated many of his themes while distinguishing himself from the other four candidates in the Republican primary.

With no political background, Cleaveland focused on his legal experience -- 30 years as a prosecutor, defense attorney and substitute judge -- as a reason for voters to send him to the House of Delegates.

He carried the theme of trust further by suggesting that Mason -- who focused her campaign largely on education and economic issues -- had been disingenuous in portraying herself as a moderate.

"You folks know where I stand with you," Cleaveland said. "You know since April where I stood. I stand that way today. I'll be there when you need me in the next two years in the General Assembly."

Cleaveland said he was heartened that voters "endorsed what we started off with -- the basic, conservative, fundamental principles of what government really ought to be all about."

At Mason's gathering at Fork in the Alley in South Roanoke, the mood was more wistful. Mason reminisced with Roanoke Councilman David Trinkle about their ticket's sweep of the 2006 council elections and the subsequent victory party in the same building.

Mason faced an uphill battle from the start, even though she had a head start on Cleaveland, who faced a five-way primary.

A Republican-controlled General Assembly redrew the 17th District's lines in 2001 with the intention of electing one of their own. Last year the district went decidedly for GOP presidential candidate John McCain.

Making things worse for Mason was the political atmosphere this year. Congressional battles over major energy and health care bills have energized the Republican base, while Democrats have struggled to recapture the enthusiasm that crested with last year's national election.

"You saw what happened statewide," Mason said after conceding to Cleaveland. "It's a year clearly that belongs to the GOP."

Even one of Mason's advantages -- her experience as an elected official -- may have worked against her.

"This district is heavily Roanoke County and Botetourt, and right or wrong, Roanoke City Council is not viewed that positively," Roanoke City Republican Committee Chairman Adam Boitnott said. "The 17th is just drawn so well for a Republican, it's hard for any Democrat. I think it's impossible for a Roanoke city Democrat."

Mason said she has no regrets from the campaign. Through mid-October, she outpaced Cleaveland in the money race, and she estimated she knocked on 8,000 doors during the campaign.

Cleaveland and Mason each credited the other as a worthy adversary and said the campaign was better as a result.

Mason said she'll now return her focus to the city council, particularly on hiring a new city manager and preparing for the budget process next year. The latter is a problem Cleaveland must face in Richmond, too, she said: "We're all in a budget pickle together."