RICHMOND

Democrats met Monday and nominated Warrenton businessman Bill Day, who last year unsuccessfully ran against Del. Scott Lingamfelter for a House of Delegates seat.

Day replaces Keith Hummel, a Westmoreland County doctor who withdrew from the race last week after his multiple past bankruptcy filings became an issue in the campaign.

Day holds an MBA from Harvard and spent several years as a mental health counselor. He owns interests in office buildings in Prince William County and said he holds the mineral rights to land in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, where he owns royalty interests and enters into lease agreements for companies to drill for oil and gas.

Day will be challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Wittman, of Westmoreland County. Wittman was elected to the seat in a special election last December following the death of Jo Ann Davis. Libertarian candidate Nathan Larson is also running.

In a telephone interview, Day said he had considered entering the race earlier this year, but when Hummel announced, Day stepped aside.

"Now the opportunity has presented itself, and I'm ready to go," he said.

Day said he has already been knocking on doors in his end of the district on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner.

In those conversations, he hears that the economy is the most important issue, something Day agrees with.

He said his 40 years of business experience give him knowledge of balancing budgets and meeting payrolls, and that the federal government must address its debt and budget deficit. Day thinks that should start with a "phased withdrawal" from Iraq, as well as a re-evaluation of tax incentives given under the Bush administration.

He wants particularly to use incentives to encourage an emerging alternative energy source industry, he said.

Day also said health care access and insurance is an important issue; he favors universal health care, although he's not particular about whether that comes through the government paying for health care or a hybrid program, as long as it works.

He's also running on an environmental platform, saying that encouraging alternative energy industry is good for the economy and the environment.