Springtime weather and a competitive election brought out a larger-than-usual turnout of Loudoun Republicans March 6, as they gathered in a canvass at Belmont Ridge Middle School in Ashburn to elect a new chairman of the party’s organization.

In what was deemed by one observer to be a “nail-biter” election result, party activist Mark Sell edged businesswoman Candace Strother, 512-458, for a new two-year term.

Sell replaces outgoing leader Glen Caroline, who announced his departure as chairman of the Loudoun County Republican Committee at the end of 2009.

The turnout of 1,000 Republicans in the four-hour poll Saturday surprised many observers, and eclipsed the number of Democrats who turned out in a similar leadership election in early January. During that poll, about 100 party members cast ballots for the new chairman of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee.

The election for LCRC chairman was open to all registered voters in Loudoun who voted in person and signed a pledge of Republican support.

The new GOP chairman wasted no time in setting the tone for his term, with a stated goal being to “roast the current Democratic Board of Supervisors that is leading us down the road to fiscal ruin.”

Sell, who works for the National Rifle Association and describes himself as a “boots-on-the-ground activist” on his Web site, said his plan was to also “unite our party behind a plan to recruit outstanding candidates, raise money from a broader, energized base, resource world-class campaigns, reach every last Loudoun voter.”

Outgoing LCRC Chairman Caroline said, “The LCRC is united behind Mark Sell and we remain focused on the 2010 Congressional election and the extremely important 2011 Loudoun County races. The almost 1,000 voters in today’s party canvass is a strong indication that the Republican Party continues to surge in Loudoun County.”

Although an LCRC press release following the vote was headlined “Loudoun Republicans Unite at Party Canvass,” the election for LCRC chairman was competitive and fractious at times, and has had GOP circles—offline and online—in Loudoun buzzing for months.

Almost every major officeholder and GOP activist in Loudoun took sides, with a vast majority of GOP officeholders and party leaders here throwing their support strongly to Strother.

Her list of supporters included a vast array of establishment party figures, including Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run), County Treasurer Roger Zurn, County Commissioner of the Revenue Bob Wertz, outgoing LCRC Chairman Caroline and Dels. Joe May, Jim LeMunyon and Tag Greason, and former Loudoun GOP Chairman J. Randall Minchew.

Prominent elected supporters of Sell included Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), as well as former Del. Dick Black.

Sell’s election represents a noticeable shift to the right for the Loudoun GOP, according to party sources and the list of Sell’s endorsements. It also likely will mark a shift on the tone and rhetoric from the party in the coming year, as evidenced from Sell’s statements on his campaign Web site.

Under a section labeled Mark’s Plan, he states a goal to “stir up public response to the fiscal insanity created by the current Deomcrat [sic] majority, rein in social experimentation such as the Democrat’s Green Energy fiasco, and fearlessly defend Republican principles and candidates.”

Mike Turner, who is chairman of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee, said in an interview Monday that the GOP election raised significant questions and was not good news for Republicans, especially regarding many of Sell’s endorsements, who Turner called the “core architects of uncontrolled and unplanned growth from the previous Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors.”

“That truly was fiscal insanity,” Turner said. “We are reaping the whirlwind as a direct result.”

Turner took aim at Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plans regarding the state’s $4.2 billion budget deficit and linked it to the similar fiscal morass facing Loudoun County.

In a challenge to Sell, Turner asked what specific programs and services in Loudoun Sell and the GOP would cut to balance the budget.

Turner also claimed that the GOP was “engaged in a core, visceral philosophical debate” about the party’s direction and platform, while stating “Democrats are united in message and have complete party unity in Loudoun.”

Sell lists four goals on his Web site: Protect Second Amendment rights, defend the sanctity of life, define traditional marriage and prevent tax increases.

He also stated he plans to “reach out to our natural allies among the Tea Party movement [and] Libertarians.”

His tasks in his two-year term involve—among typical party logistics of fundraising, accruing new members and grassroots organizing—helping to elect candidates at the federal, state and local levels. This includes elections for the 10th Congressional District in November—where incumbent Frank Wolf is running for re-election—as well as elections for county Board of Supervisors and School Board races coming in 2011.